Force of Nature
by Ghostsinsnow31
Summary: Lily Evans can't figure out why James Potter suddenly seems so different but she likes it enough to call him a friend and nothing else - right? Meanwhile Remus Lupin realizes James isn't the only one falling for a friend and tries to keep Callie Moore at arms length to protect his secret, himself, and the people he cares about while he can. LilyXJames / RemusXOC.
1. Lonely Summer

**So, on top of my current story I've also been working on the Marauders era story, which will eventually (hopefully) lead into another story I'm also currently writing. As I said in the description this is going to be a Lily x James, Remus x OC, and eventual Sirius X OC. Hopefully I do it well and someone likes it.**

 **As with my other story I own nothing but my OCs.**

James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew crept into the common room under the assumption that it would be empty this late at night.

"Don't worry too much about her." Sirius assured James, referring to his last interaction with Lily Evans, which he'd been moping about all day now. "She'll -"

Whatever he was going to say was interrupted when the redheaded fifth year in question climbed through the portrait hole in her pajamas, tears streaming down her face.

She froze when she saw the four of them and without thinking James stepped forward and reached out to her.

"What's wro-"

Lily immediately swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled. "This is all your fault!" She glanced between him and Sirius before storming passed them.

"What did we do?" Sirius asked when it became obvious from James' dumbfounded expression that he wasn't going to. "Are you talking about what happened with Snively earlier?"

"Don't call him that!"

"He called you worse." James pointed out.

 _"Because of you!"_ She shreiked. "He called me that because of you!"

"Evans-" Once again James stepped toward her and Lily immediately backed away.

"Don't talk to me. Don't even look at me. You got your wish Potter, my oldest friendship is over and it's entirely your fault!" She said, no longer bothering to hide her tears.

"We didn't make him call you _that!_ " James defended.

"No, just took every chance you got to torment him because you could! As if you're any better." She shook her head, her green eyes glaring into his hazel ones. "We were already drifting apart. It didn't have to end like _this_."

And with that she stormed up to bed, leaving James and Sirius to watch her go guiltily.

She refused to even look in James' direction for the rest of the term, though she could feel his eyes on her on more than a few occasions.

She spent the beginning of her summer trying to forget about James Potter and Severus Snape, though it wasn't easy. Losing Severus also meant losing the one nearby friend she had to hang out with over the summer.

Between the solitude and Petunias painfully dull new boyfriend Vernon she assumed that the next few months would be long and boring until one day she heard a familiar voice calling her on a walk around her block.

"Lily?"

She turned, half expecting Severus and was surprised to find Remus Lupin jogging to catch up to her instead.

"Remus? What are you doing here?" She asked, smiling at the one member of the Marauders she didn't really mind.

"Just moved into the house around the corner." He said, gesturing behind them and hoping she wouldn't ask for details. His parents had decided that living in an area with mostly muggles would make it less suspicious when they took him far away every full moon. It also made it easier for him to try to get his license, so that if it was really necessary he could take himself far away when the time came.

"Oh, wow. I live right up the street." Lily nodded toward her own house.

The two of them walked together for a while, talking until eventually the conversation turned, as she knew it would, to James Potter.

Lily rolled her eyes at the mention of his name and Remus frowned.

"He's really not so bad."

"Hmph." Seemed to be the best response she could muster.

"The guys are probably going to be visiting soon. Maybe, since you said you were spending most of the summer alone you could-"

"Potter and Black are the _reason_ I'm spending most of the summer alone, remember?" She pointed out.

Remus sighed. Through her frustration he could see that she was still upset.

"They didn't mean for that to happen. James feels really terrible."

"Oh, I'm sure he's very broken up about it." Lily rolled her eyes and Remus debated whether or not to tell her how much time he'd spent sulking after she yelled at him in the common room. Even Sirius felt bad, though that was more because he now had to watch James be miserable, but Remus suspected he did feel a little guilty about how upset Lily was, though he wouldn't admit it.

The two of them walked around the block a few more times, talking about whatever came to mind, both happy to now know someone who lived near them. Remus continued trying to convince her that James wasn't so bad until finally she started to seem annoyed enough that he thought it would be best to drop the subject for a while. He didn't bring him back up again so he was very surprised when Lily mentioned him.

"If Potter really is sorry then maybe he should tell me himself." She said, not looking at him.

Remus nodded, smiling faintly.

* * *

"Hey Sirius?" James was sprawled out on his bed, staring at the ceiling while his best friend flipped through a quidditch magazine across the room.

"Hm?" He muttered, having a feeling he already knew where this was going.

"Do you think Lily will still hate me when the summers over?"

James only ever refered to her as Lily when she wasn't around. When he talked to her he usually called her Evans, unless he was feeling creative and lucky, but that had ended up being a good part of the reason he was so good at shield charms, so it was happening less often.

Sirius glanced up at him over his magazine, trying not to roll his eyes.

"She did last summer." He chuckled, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah, but this time she _really hates me_ , Padfoot." James frowned.

He'd had this conversation at least half a dozen times with each of his friends and by now Sirius knew that he wasn't really looking for advice and was mostly trying to work out a scenario in his head where she might be able to stand him at the start of the year.

Sirius also knew that James would take his silence as confirmation that the odds were against him, which in his opinion they were, but he didn't want to watch his best friend worry his summer away so he smiled reassuringly at him.

"Maybe you should write to her?" Sirius suggested, though he instantly regretted it, knowing that if she were angry enough she'd never respond and James would spend the whole summer worrying _and_ waiting.

James shrugged, considering it for a second and Sirius wondered if maybe he should write to her himself.

He did feel partially responsible for what had happened, and while he had no pity for Snape he truly never meant for Lily to get stuck in the middle of everything and he certainly didn't think James deserved _this_.

He thought back to earlier in the year, when James had been so excited to finally convince her to partner with him in Charms only to fall asleep in class the night after the full moon and wake up having caused both of them to fail class for the day. Lily was beyond furious at him.

Remus had felt so awful after seeing the look on his face when she said she'd never partner with him again that he nearly told her the truth about where they'd been the night before.

Of course James wouldn't have that, so instead Moony made up this long story about how he'd been sick and James has spent the night helping him. Not a complete lie, and it definitely earned him a few points in Lily's book.

Unfortunately, Sirius didn't see any way he could make James out to be the hero in this one.


	2. Grocery shopping?

**As always I own nothing, thank you for reading. :)**

James was woken up by two of his three best friends throwing themselves onto his bed early in the morning. He groaned sleepily, not nearly enough of a morning person to deal with the two boys grinning at him right now.

"Pack your things." Remus said.

James grunted tiredly, unable to think of a witty response.

"You two and Pete are spending the night at my house."

"Moony, it was night a few hours ago, let me sleep."

"Come on. I have a surprise for you. You're gonna love it." Remus sang, shaking him.

"Love is not the word I'm feeling right now." James said, shoving him over and pulling the blankets up over his head.

"Well, fine. If that's the way you're going to be I guess I won't tell you about the girl down the street from my new house."

"Please, don't. " James said, muffled by the blankets.

"The red haired girl...Who may or may not be one of our classmates..."

At this James peeked out from beneath the blankets. Remus tried to hold a straight face while Sirius smirked behind him.

"Who may or may not be named after a flower. You may or may not have been pining over her for years now..."

James sat up abruptly, earning a laugh from Sirius.

 _"Lily Evans is your new neighbor?"_

"Well she might be, but you said you didn't want to hear about it, so-"

Remus went to get up but James grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him back down.

"Did she say anything about me?" He asked eagerly.

"Not voluntarily." Remus shrugged, making James frown.

"But she did say that if you just so happened to be visiting me and we _happened_ to run into her she _might_ not hex your legs off. So pack your damn things, come on!"

James jumped out of bed and began throwing things into a bag. Remus and Sirius had to stop him from running out in his pajamas.

Finally James, Sirius, and Peter were all in Remus' bedroom. James was standing by his mirror, running his hand through his hair anxiously when Lily Evans voice rang through his mind.

 _"...always messing up your hair to look like you just got off your broom... "_

Suddenly he started trying on vain to get his hair to resemble something on the neater side but no matter what he did it was a mess.

"Come on!" Peter was grabbing him by the arm and pulling him out the door behind Remus and Sirius.

"Alright, Prongs, please keep in mind that it wasn't easy for me to do this. Just...try not to drive her too crazy." Remus chuckled.

James nodded, smiling confidently.

 _Right. Don't drive her crazy. That's probably in my best interest._

"And... Maybe try an apology?" He suggested.

James nodded again, shoving his hands in his pockets and thinking over what he would say. He wasn't exactly great with serious apologies.

"Thats her house." Remus pointed to a blue house not far from them.

Suddenly James was a bit nervous as Sirius grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up onto her front porch.

"Guys, wait. Maybe we should-"

But Remus had already knocked on the door and they could hear footsteps from inside.

James' heart skipped a beat when seconds later Lily Evans was standing in front of them, wearing a yellow shirt and denim shorts and looking taken aback to see the Marauders standing on her front porch.

James smirked, running a hand through his hair, and Sirius crossed his arms, leaning on the edge of the porch. Peter glanced repeatedly between Lily and James and Remus was just hoping Lily wasn't about to kill him. Finally she shook the surprised look off her face and donned the special glower she reserved just for them.

"What are you all doing here?" She finally said.

"We were just visiting Remus and thought we'd pop in on our favorite redhead. Since you've obviously been missing me like crazy. Go on, you can admit it." James said, winking.

Lily rolled her eyes, leaning on the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest. Before she could come back with a biting response a tall man with dark hair appeared behind her and smiled at the four boys on his porch.

"Hey boys! Who's this?"

"Oh, dad this is James, Sirius, and Peter. You remember Remus, he just moved in down the street. We go to school together. Guys, this is my dad." Lily said, gesturing between them.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Evans." James held out a hand and Lily's dad shook it with an excited nod.

"Nice to meet you! Why don't you invite them to the party tonight?" He said cheerfully.

Lily straightened up, staring wide eyed at her father.

"Yeah, Evans, why don't you invite us to the party tonight?" Sirius grinned.

"Oh- i-it's just a little thing for my parent's anniversary, I'm sure you guys wouldn't want to waste your time." She said, waving her hands.

"Oh, no, no, no, we'd love to come!" Remus chimed in.

Lily rolled her eyes and hung her head in defeat, deciding that the four of them were still better than Petunias boyfriend.

"Alright. Fine. Starts at five." She sighed.

James tried to suppress a grin even as she glared at him.

"Lil, would you mind running out to the store and picking up a few things for tonight? Your friends can help!" Her dad asked.

Lily huffed but nodded and took the keys, money, and a shopping list from her dads hands before stepping out onto the porch, closing the door behind her.

"So, where to?" James asked, still smiling at her.

Lily rolled her eyes, walking briskly passed them

"I'm still not happy with you, Potter." She said sharply.

James winced, glancing toward his friends.

Sirius and Peter both shrugged and Remus mouthed the word " _apologize_ " behind her back.

"Are you ever?" He finally said, following her over to her father's car.

Lily just raised her eyebrow at him. James sighed, shutting his eyes for a second.

"I know you don't believe it, but I _am_ sorry about what happened with Sniv- Snape."

James ran his hand through his hair, looking down at his feet and stepping towards her.

She wasn't glaring anymore, she looked curious, staring into him with her green eyes, waiting for him to go on.

"I know he meant a lot to you- Merlin knows why, but-" Lily held up a hand, cutting him off.

"Like I told you, we were drifting apart anyway. I shouldn't have been so hard on you."

She was trying to look like she didn't care but he could tell that she was still upset and felt a pang of guilt in his chest.

"So -you're not...mad at me?" He asked incredulously.

"Not any more than usual." She shrugged, but smiled at him, making his heart skip another beat. "Like you said, you didn't tell him to call me that. That was all him."

James nodded, still surprised.

Lily turned and unlocked the car doors and James leaned on the side of the car, watching her.

"You getting in?" She asked, gesturing to the fact Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all climbing into the back seat and James was still standing by the driver's side door. "Or were _you_ going to drive?" She smirked, crossing her arms.

"Maybe I was." James said snarkily, imitating her stance.

"Alright." Lily shoved the keys into his hands and walked around to the passenger side of the car.

James climbed into the driver's seat and stared at the steering wheel. He already knew she didn't actually expect him to know how to drive. That's why he was planning on proving her wrong. Would he really be James Potter if the first thing he did today wasn't a stupid attempt at impressing Lily Evans? Besides, it couldn't be that hard.

"Uh, Prongs?" Peter said, quirking his head to the side uneasily.

"Yes?" James responded casually, trying to figure out what he was trying to do.

"Have you ever even been in a car?" Lily asked, stifling a giggle.

"Of course I have! I just have to... Er... " After a seconds hesitation he remembered the keys in his hand and held them up. He was sure he was supposed to do something with them but...what?

Lily took the keys and put them in the ignition, turning them so that the old car sputtered to life. James nodded, still trying in vain to pretend he knew exactly what he was doing.

"Right...then I just..." He put one hand on the steering wheel and with the other he started fiddling with the air conditioner.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Then you just switch seats with me so you don't get us all killed." She smirked, and James was about to say something snippy when without a second thought Lily leaned over him and pushed open the car door. Her hair brushed against his face and her shoulder bumped his chest, her other hand on the steering wheel by his. At the same time she inched over, intending to nudge him over with her hip but instead she pressed herself against him.

It took Lily a second to register what was happening. She abruptly pulled away from him, hiding her face behind her hair.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

James shook off the surprise, clearing his throat and jumping out of the car so Lily wouldn't see him turning redder than her hair. She inched over into the drivers seat and shut the door while James got into the seat beside her, not speaking or looking in her direction for half the car ride, feeling like a fool. Normally he'd have made some ridiculous flirty remark and Lily would have rolled her eyes, but something about today felt different. He'd didn't feel like she absolutely couldn't stand him, he realized. But it was still early.

She'd also never been that close to him before.

"You know; you don't have to pretend to know when I'm talking about when I bring up muggle things." She finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Huh?" James flicks his eyes towards her but she was staring at the road.

"That's not the first time you've gone along with something when you clearly have no idea what I'm talking about. You're a wizard. Your family is all magical, I know that. I don't expect you to understand muggle things." She shrugs. "It's been almost six years and I still have to ask questions about magical things I've never heard of."

James nods.

"Right. Sorry."

Lily lifted a shoulder in a half hearted shrug and pulled into the parking lot of a store.

The four boys all file in with her. Lily grabs a cart and swats at Sirius and Peter, who are shoving each other back and forth into displays.

At least once every isle one of them has to stop to loudly examine a muggle thing they've never seen before and ask Lily a million questions that earn them odd stares from the other shoppers. Peter seemed genuinely curious, but Lily gets the feeling James is just asking to start a conversation, and Sirius is just trying to be annoying. The longer they're in the store the more ridiculous they get.

"Guys, come on." James nudges them, jerking his head towards where Lily was looking increasingly irritated by the frozen foods.

They all stopped what they were doing and give him a nod, silently understanding that this is the most the two of them have ever gotten along and agreeing not to ruin it.

When they finished with their shopping and walking back to the car Sirius grabbed the empty cart from her, riding it across the parking lot with Peter chasing him but James was relieved to see that instead of getting annoyed she rolled her eyes and laughed quietly.

James looked behind him and smiles at Remus, on his way toward their other two friends, before speeding up to walk beside Lily.

"You're having fun with us, admit it." James nudged her, shifting the weight from the bag he's carrying to his side.

Lily begins to respond but freezes, her smile fading away and her body tensing up instantly as she gripped the paper bag in her hands.

"Merlin, Evans, it's not that horrible is it?" He frowned, a little hurt.

Lily shook her head and swallowed hard, looking down at the ground like she might cry before James noticed the lanky boy with long black hair staring at the three of them with wide shocked eyes.

Lily briefly glanced toward James and took a deep breath, then glanced around them at the parking lot and he realized that she was waiting for one of them to do something stupid and trying to gauge just how bad it will be. Admittedly his first instinct was to do something he knows would make her furious, especially as he sees Snape's hand twitch toward the pocket he probably has his wand in, but there are muggles everywhere and this is the longest Lily Evans has ever been able to stand him so instead of reaching for his own wand, or spitting off some snide remark he takes the bag from Lilys hand and strides over to her father's car, brushing passed Snape without a word and hoping he wouldn't be stupid enough to try hexing him with so many muggles around.

Lily tore her eyes away from her former best friend and followed James to the car, unlocking the trunk so that he can put the bags down. Snape followed them across the parking lot with his eyes, but James didn't even give him a second glance, though Lily could tell he was dying to say something.

Instead James walked quickly toward where Sirius, Remus, and Peter were still messing with the shopping cart and Snape took the opportunity to approach Lily.

"Lily, _what are you doing?"_ He asks, leaning close to her.

"Grocery shopping. Obviously." She says simply, hoping that he'll leave before James and his friends come back and cause a scene.

"With _Potter_ and his friends?" He spat.

Snape seemed to be almost physically pushed back a few inches by the angry look Lily gave him, silently reminding him that he of all people has no right to question who _she_ hangs out with.

Snape spluttered for a minute, trying to find something to say when James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter finally walked up beside them. Lily braced herself for her fun day to come crashing down as Snape's hand flys defensively toward his wand but the four boys just glare at him as they take their seats in the car, begrudgingly keeping their promise to James not to mess anything up for him. Or get them in trouble for hexing him in front of muggles.

James was the only one who didn't get in the car immediately. He and Snape exchange glares, neither flinching as Lily slams the trunk shut loudly.

"Can I just have a minute?" Snape asks her softly.

Lily looks up at him, almost tempted to give in when she sees the sad look on his face, but then she shakes her head, remembering that this is about more than just one awful word. Severus wants to be a death eater. He can't be friends with a muggleborn.

"Lily, _please_." He pleads.

Snape reaches out to grab her shoulder but she roughly shoves him off.

"She doesn't want to talk to you, Snivelly."

Lily gave James a pointed glare but didn't defend him like she normally would have.

Snape swallowed a shaky breath, looking back up at James as he reached towards her. He's not sure what he's intending to do but he can't just stare at the two of them when she looks so broken. He expected her to shove him off the same way she did Snape but instead she lets him gently grip her arm.

"Don't-" Snape starts without thinking about it, but Lily cuts him off sharply.

"Don't you dare pretend you have any say in who touches me!" She growls before James even has a chance to respond.

"You always said you hated him!" Snape reminds her.

Beside her James flinches slightly, hoping neither of them will notice but they both do. Snape smirks with a hint of triumph. Lily steps back, closer to James, who's hand is still on her arm, and farther from Snape.

"Things change." She says firmly, then turns to James. "Maybe I was wrong."

James's heart flutters from the way she looks at him when she says this and behind her Snape, just as surprised as he was, struggled to find a response.

She almost didn't want to admit it, she'd only been around him for an hour but he was right, she was having fun. She didn't know if James and his friends were just different outside of school, if this was because she finally had someone to hang out with or if something really had changed.

She glanced away and back at him for a second and James understands that she's telling him she has no intention of leaving her spot between the two of them until he gets in the car. He's not exactly nonconfrontational, he's not used to walking away at all, normally the two of them would be throwing the nastiest spells they could think of at each other by now but with that option involving Lily furious at him again and potentially being thrown out of school at best, he gives Snape one last smirk, shakes his head and gets in the car, watching as she walks past him.

Lily swallowed hard, giving Snape one last glance before she gets in the drivers seat and starts the car.

Snape watched her pull out of the parking lot, wearing a look of betrayal that mirrors the one she wore when he called her that terrible word by the lake just a few months ago, though part of him knows he no longer has any right to feel that way.


	3. James

**I own nothing, thank you for reading, and please tell me about and excuse any typos and whatnot, I'm operating on very little sleep because I'm stubborn as hell.**

After running into Snape the car ride back to Lily's house is even quieter the one to the store. James can't take his eyes off of her, which isn't unusual, but this time it's because he's worried. Part of him worries that this run-in with Snape would make her hate him all over again, the other part just hates how upset she looks.

When they pulled into her driveway everyone except James and Lily got out of the car.

Lily gripped the steering wheel and took a deep breath. He could tell she was trying not to cry and reached toward her again, hoping that she hadn't only let him touch her earlier to piss off Snape. When she doesn't brush his hand off her arm he inches a bit closer to her, still keeping a polite distance.

Neither of them know what to say for a while, but she doesn't push him away.

"Evans?"

"Potter."

James chuckles, then looks at her nervously.

"Did...did you mean what you said?" Lily looks up at him questioningly. "About being wrong. About...hating me." He feels sort of stupid, and Lily feels a little guilty when she hears the tone in his voice as he finishes the question.

He'd understand if it was all just to shut Snape up, he's expecting that to be her reasoning. He's always known she couldn't stand him but he also really wants to ask her not to get his hopes up next time.

Lily nods, any trace of sadness suddenly gone from her features, and smiles at him.

"I meant what I said. "

James's eyes widen and a smile spreads across his face as she climbs out of the car.

The five of them bring the bags into the house and find Mr and Mrs. Evans in the kitchen, preparing for the party when they walk in.

"Wheres Tuney?" She asks after introducing her mother to the Marauders and jumping up to sit on the counter.

"Out with Vernon. Should be back soon."

Lily scrunches up her face.

"That's my cue to leave then." She says, earning a chuckle from her parents as she hops off the counter.

The four boys follow her up the stairs to her bedroom and James immediately leapt onto her bed, crossing his arms under his head and grinning suggestively at her.

"Care to join me, Evans?"

"Not in your wildest dreams, Potter." She shakes her head.

"Actually think it happens quite frequently in his wildest dre-oof!" James leapt at Sirius and dragged him to the floor, covering his mouth with his hand.

Lily bursts out laughing as she watched them wrestle on her bedroom floor.

"So, who are we hiding from?" Sirius asks, sitting on top of James' chest, taking his glasses and putting them on himself casually as he leaned his arms on his knees.

Lily couldn't stop laughing at the two of them long enough to answer. James finally kicked Sirius off him, taking back his glasses and shooting a glare in his direction.

"Vernon Dursley." She said, finally catching her breath. "He's my sisters new boyfriend. I swear, I've looked at blank sheets of paper with more personality than that man." She shook her head, leaning on her headboard.

"He can't be that bad." Remus says.

"Wait until you meet him."

* * *

Lily sat on the steps behind her house, watching her parent's anniversary party happily. It's been a few hours and most of the adults are drunk enough to be hilarious and, to her surprise, James and his friends have been relatively well behaved all afternoon.

She leaned her elbows on her knees and cradled her head in her hands, smiling as her parents dance clumsily together. She knows it embarrasses her sister but Lily always loved how in love and carefree they were together.

Suddenly there's an outstretched hand in front of her face and she isn't surprised to see James Potter standing behind it.

"Come on, Evans. One dance won't kill you." He smirks.

Lily thinks for a second, glancing between his hand and his face, then nods and places her hand in his.

"I guess one song wouldn't be _so_ bad."

James goes on as if she said no, clearly having anticipating rejection and over prepared to respond accordingly.

"Oh come on, afraid you might -wait, seriously?"

She smiles as she gets to her feet and his hand closes around hers.

"Yes, seriously." She giggles. "Just one and just for fun." She says firmly.

James grins and pulls her away toward where everyone else is dancing just as a slow song comes on.

He half expects her to object but instead Lily wraps her arms around his neck and steps closer to him. James puts his hands on her waist, knowing she'll hex them off if they get too low, and the two of them sway to a silly slow love song.

James can't stop smiling, though his heart is racing now as she looks up at him.

"Now, try not to fall _too_ in love with me, Evans." He jokes, trying to hide how excited he really is to be dancing with _Lily Evans._

She rolled her eyes for what had to be the hundredth time today but didn't bother with a biting response. For some reason today he's seemed less on the arrogant side and almost more...charming.

She shuts that thought down almost immediately as James dips her back, partially as an excuse to pull her a bit closer, and feels her arms tighten around him in fear of falling. He doesn't mind, of course. He's fairly certain that he'll still be able to feel how soft her hands are at the back of his neck after he goes home.

"Come on, you really think I'd drop you?" He asks when she's standing upright again, this time much closer than he anticipated, making his heart leap into his throat while she giggles softly.

"You did knock me down the stairs that time in fourth year." She reminded him, tilting her head to the side.

"What? How?"

"You wanted to carry my books to class for me, except you were going the wrong way and you already had your own books to carry."

James nodded, smiling sheepishly. One of his earlier attempts at trying to get her to stop hating him, he'd been coming from the library and had way too many books in his hands already when he decided Lily might need the 'help'. He of course dropped them all onto her when she asked why the hell he was taking all her books in the opposite direction of her class and the weight nearly knocked her down an entire flight of stairs before he grabbed her, letting the books tumble away.

"You only fell down a few steps." He muttered.

He'd spent the next two days annoying her more than usual with apologies that she didn't want to hear.

The two of them continued dancing together quietly, and Lily realized how tall James had gotten. It seemed like only yesterday he was several inches shorter than her and now he was at least six feet tall. His hair was messy, as always, but it didn't look so bad and while she'd always remembered him being on the skinnier side, now she could feel that he was actually kind of strong, especially his arms, which were still around her waist as a new song started.

James was reluctant to let her go, he expected her to walk away the second the song ended, so he was pleasantly surprised when instead she continued dancing with him, though it wasn't a slow song anymore.

"I love Bowie." She said, humming along to the song.

"What?"

"David Bowie." She clarified, singing along softly to the song that was playing.

James couldn't take his eyes off of her as she swayed and twirled around, and he also couldn't help noticing that her hands always came back to him as she danced and he firmly told himself not to look too deeply into it (though he knew he would anyway).

One of her mothers friends walked up and snapped a picture of the two of them before the song ended, winking before walking away.

"I want a copy of that." James nudged her.

The two of them sat back on the steps, this time joined by Sirius, Remus, and Peter, and Lily leaned back, looking up at the orange and pink sky so she could pretend she didn't see the way Sirius nudged him, or Remus patting his shoulder, or Peter beaming at him before James brushed them all off and sat down beside her.

"I guess you were right." Lily sighed, turning to look at him.

"Never thought I'd hear you say that, Evans...what was I right about?"

"I am having fun." She admitted, staring back at the sky. Her mouth was set in a tight line but he could tell she wanted to smile.

"Told you we weren't so bad."

 _So go out with me._ He wanted to say. _Just one date, come on._

He opened his mouth to say it but paused. They were finally on friendly terms, even if it had just been for a day, if she said no now it would set everything back completely, wouldn't it?

Instead of speaking he just smiled.

Before the party was over she had dragged all four of them back out to dance, proved that Vernon Dursley was, in fact, the most unpleasant person imaginable, and stolen James's glasses to do an almost perfect impression of him (according to everyone but James).

Late that night Lily walked the four of them back to Remus's house, tired but almost giddily happy.

"So, Evans... " James turned to her on Remus's front step, eager to get a few more minutes with her.

"Yes, Potter?" She shoves her hands in her pockets and tilts her head.

James reaches up to run his hand through his hair, but stops short, fidgeting with his glasses instead.

"It's pretty dark out." He states, glancing up at the sky.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when it's nighttime around here." She nods, earning a small glare from James.

"Maybe I should walk you home." He shrugged casually.

"I just walked _you_ home, remember?"

"Well yeah, but there's four of us and only one of you." He says, turning to his friends before walking back towards her.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." He says, starting back towards her house before she can answer him, which she's surprised to find she's thankful for. Part of her wanted to say yes and she couldn't understand why.

They walked silently side by side up the street for a few minutes before James spoke.

"So, do you think maybe you can stand me now?" He says it teasingly but Lily has a feeling he's half serious.

"I think maybe."

She wants to say that she can stand him when he's not being an arrogant bully but she also doesn't want him to try and change to prove anything to her if it isn't genuine.

"I was really... Surprised when you didn't even try to antagonize Severus earlier."

"Can't exactly hex him outside of school."

"Yeah, but you've always known what to say to set him off and he's got a short temper. You could have had him in a hell of a lot of trouble if you'd thought about it. That's kind of what I was expecting."

"What makes you think the thought didn't cross my mind? I mean, I never actually considered doing it, but I already knew I could."

Lily turned to look at him for a second. Even in the dark he felt like her vibrant green eyes could see right through him.

"I know you think I'm just an arrogant bully, Evans, but I'm not. Or, I never meant to be." He runs his hand through his hair, shoving the other into his pocket and not meeting her eyes. "I never meant to ruin your friendship. And I wouldn't get him thrown out of school and ruin his life just because I don't like him."

Lily seems taken aback at first, then she nods and continues walking.

"He wants to be a death eater when we finish school." She says simply. "Don't bother pretending to be surprised. Everyone knows it. I thought maybe I could change his mind but..." She sighs, throwing up her hands. "And I'm a muggle born. I do miss him, but even if we hadn't started drifting apart where could out friendship have possibly gone?"

James wants to say that he has a feeling he knows exactly where Snape wanted it to go but he doesn't.

"Whatever. I don't want to talk about him anymore." She says sadly.

"Your family seems nice."

"Yeah. Unfortunately for me I think they liked you." She jokes.

They keep the conversation light until they reach her house, a little too soon for James.

"So, maybe next time we visit Remus..." He gestures awkwardly.

"Maybe next time I won't bite your heads of if you show up on my front step." She finishes for him. "Like I said, I actually had a good time with you tonight."

She turns to stand in front of him outside of her house and before James has a chance to think she leans up on the toes of her sneakers and kisses him on the cheek.

"Goodnight James." She smiles as she turns away, waving before she closes her front door.

For a second James stares at her house, his hand on his cheek and a grin on his face. Then he turns and sprints back toward Remus's house, heading straight up to where his three friends are all sitting on his bedroom floor.

"How did it go?" Peter asks eagerly.

"She called me James."


	4. Studying and Arguments

**As always, I own nothing, am working on like, maybe 3 or 4 hours of sleep 24 hours ago, so please (politely) let me know about any mistakes. The excerpt from the 'text book' is actualy copied straight from the HP wiki page on werewolves.**

 **And thanks for reading.**

James and his friends saw Lily a few more times over the summer and everything went well. He headed back to Hogwarts feeling even more in love with her, if that was even possible.

Lily was starting to reluctantly to admit she was enjoying his company. She was worried about what it would be like when school started again and James went back to strutting around and hexing people in the hallways so she was pleasantly surprised to see that, while he didn't stop completely he had toned it down a bit.

She sat beside her friend Callie Moore in Defense Against the Dark Arts taking notes while the teacher reviewed what they'd learned the past six years before they started anything new.

This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a very knowledgeable man, but he was terrible at keeping a group of teenagers under control.

They were just beginning to go over how to defend themselves against a werewolf when Johnathan Dryer, a Slytherin boy sitting in front of Callie spoke up.

"The only thing I need against a werewolf is a killing curse." He announced.

Remus tensed and James, Sirius, and Peter all prepared to say something when Callie spoke up first.

"So you'd murder an innocent person?" She said, not looking up yet.

"No, I'd kill a werewolf, and it's no worse than what they'd do to me." He reasoned.

"But a werewolf doesn't _know_ any better. They're not themselves when they change, _you_ are and after the full moon was up you'd have taken an innocent life."

Beside her Lily was trying not to glance at Remus in the seat behind them, who she'd become increasingly suspicious was a werewolf himself, while the teacher tried in vain to silence the two students.

Jonathan rolled his eyes.

"What kind of life can a werewolf lead anyway? I'd be doing it a favor. Personally I think they should all be rounded up and taken care of for good." He smirked.

"That's sick!" Sirius yelled at the same time James exclaimed; "You're fucked in the head, Dryer!" And Lily said "You're terrible!" while Peter made a disgusted sound.

Remus sunk a little lower in his seat, still watching Callie and Jonathan silently, and Callie looked absolutely disgusted. On either side of him James, Peter and Sirius looked murderous but they knew Remus would be upset if they said anything more. He'd say it would put way too much suspicion on him and he already felt like his secret was always on the edge of being discovered anyway. So they exchanged a look that silently said they'd take care of him later.

"You do realize they're only a wolf one night out of the month, right? You're horrible."

The teacher continued trying to quiet them down but Lily could see her friend getting worked up and knew Callie wouldn't stop until she was finished.

"It's just my opinion. "

"You're calling that an opinion? That you would murder an innocent person for something that's not their fault? That's not an opinion, that's sick!" By now Callie and Jonathan were both on their feet glaring murderously at each other.

"You wouldn't be talking like that if a werewolf tried to bite that pretty little face of yours off." He smirked, making a biting motion with his mouth and reaching out toward her face. Callie roughly shoved him away and they both reached for their wands. Lily jumped up to get between them, though admittedly she was hoping Callie would get Jonathan before anyone could stop her.

"Maybe we should toss you out in the Forbidden Forest next full moon and see how you feel then, Moore."

He raised his wand first but Callie wasn't far behind and she was much quicker, casting a spell that knocked him backwards over his desk.

"Enough!" The teacher bellowed, knocking both their wands out of their hands and into his.

"Ten points from Slytherin and Gryffindor! Now sit down or you'll both be in detention all month. Callie, please continue reading from where we left off."

Still glaring, Jonathan got up and took his seat, followed by Callie, who began to read from her text book.

 _"_ _A mixture of powdered silver and dittany applied to a fresh bite will seal the wound and allow the victim to live on as a werewolf, although tragic tales are told of witches and wizards begging for death rather than becoming werewolves. The Wolfsbane Potion, invented by Damocles, allows the werewolf to keep their human mind during transformation._

 _A werewolf cannot choose whether or not to transform and will no longer remember who they are and would kill even their best friend given the opportunity once transformed. Despite this, they are able to recall everything they have experienced throughout their transformation upon reverting to their human form."_

When she finished reading Callie gave up on focusing and started doodling on her notes. Behind her Remus Lupin continued his own notes, though his friends noticed that his eyes kept flicking up to the girl in front of him more than the teacher.

He'd always had an attraction to her but after that it felt to him like it exploded into something huge almost instantly. He'd usually kept anyone he was interested in at a distance but he and Callie were already friends, and she and Lily were very close. James getting along better with Lily meant they saw much more of Callie than usual.

At lunch that day James dropped himself into the seat beside Lily, who was sitting across from Callie, who was drawing in a notebook now. Sirius, sat down beside him and Remus and Peter ended up beside Callie.

"So that was an interesting class." Sirius said, raising an eyebrow at Callie.

Remus busied himself with filling his plate with food as she looked up, blowing her chestnut hair out of her face and sighing.

"I didn't mean to get so upset, but _Merlin_ did you hear him? The boys sick!" She shook her head. "God, I can't imagine being such a hateful little - _ugh_." She bristled.

"Do you know anyone who's a werewolf?" Peter asked.

Lily noticed that Remus's eyes went wide and he tensed instantly, glaring at his friend but Callie wasn't looking at him.

"No, I just don't think you should fault someone for things they can't help. And the way the teachers and our textbooks talk about werewolves, it's like they don't care that they're real people. I mean, how would you feel if you were a werewolf?"

Remus paled and nearly dropped his food but once again Callie wasn't looking at him.

"Forget about Dryer." Lily said, glancing quickly at Remus. "He's pathetic. Are you going to eat anything or are you just going to draw all afternoon?"

Lily pointed her fork at Callies notebook and she rolled her eyes but started filling her own plate with food.

"What are you drawing?" Remus asks and his friends all smirked, noticing how his attempt at sounding casual made him sound infinitely less casual. Callie pushed her notebook toward him so he could see a very detailed drawing of a phoenix.

"Wow, that's amazing." He mused.

Callie smiled at him. She'd always liked Remus. He was quieter than James and Sirius, but not like Peter was. He was more thoughtful but he could be just as mischievous, and very smart.

"So, Evans, " James smiled and Lily cast Callie a look.

"So, Potter." Lily mimicked.

James continued, nonplussed.

"I was wondering if you could help me study for potions this weekend?"

Callie smirked as Lily looked over at him and nodded. Almost as soon as they got to school Lily had talked her ear off about how confused she was by James Potter and how different he'd been over the summer. Callie said that maybe he was just maturing but made a point not to mention that Lily's feelings for James seemed to be evolving as well, since she had no desire to have all her hair hexed off.

"Yeah, alright. Saturday afternoon?"

James blinked in surprise, then smiled.

"Great! Yeah. Saturday afternoon." He nodded.

Lily continued eating her lunch, but she couldn't stop herself from looking over at James, who had rolled his shirt sleeves up to his elbows.

 _Merlin, he's got nice arms..._ she thought, trying to push away the memory of how they felt around her when they were dancing over the summer.

* * *

Now James Potter was fairly certain he was going crazy.

It had to be the only explanation for why Lily Evan was sitting so close to him right now. Sure, they were just studying for potions, but they were sitting shoulder to shoulder. When she moved her leg bumped his and _Did she really just laugh at that joke?_

He never thought studying for potions could make him so damn happy, but now Lily Evans was sitting beside him, giggling at something stupid and he could study for potions all day.

They had no idea that across the library Severus Snape was glaring at them over his own textbook.

"So, Padfoot thinks we should try to set Remus and Callie up together." James said.

Lily thought for a second, then nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely yes...James?"

Now that she had started using his first name sometimes James loved the sound of it more and more.

"Yeah?" He smiled, leaning on his fist.

"Where'd you guys get those nicknames from?"

She'd asked him once before but he'd insisted he'd only tell her if she went on a date with him.

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "It's...sort of a long story. I can't really tell you now but..." He hesitated for a second, then tentatively reached out and put his hand over hers. "Someday I will... _Lily_." He promised, using her first name for the first time he could remember.

Lily nodded, looking up at him and showing no sign of moving her hand away from his. Instead she smiled softly and continued on studying potions with her hand in his.

They were both too caught up to notice Snape slamming his book shut and stomping out of the library miserably.


	5. Arms Length

**Remus heavy chapter because I couldn't find a good time to break it up. I still don't own anything HP related, but thanks for reading! Also, I initially mixed up tunnels out of the school, so in order for this to make sense I had to change up the tunnel under the whomping willow to go both to the shrieking shack and the school. Whoops!**

It was one of the first really chilly days of the year when Callie went to sit by the lake with her notebook.

Lily had invited her to watch quidditch practice with her but she declined, deciding instead to go outside and enjoy some alone time. She was determined to get one good sketch of the lake before it froze completely and didn't realize yet that Remus Lupin was sitting against a tree a few yards away. He'd been trying to read a book when she sat down but now he couldn't focus. He was too busy thinking about Callie and her bright blue eyes, the way she smiled when she talked to him, the way her lips might feel on his...

He tried to push that last thought away, reminding himself instead of what a disaster it would be to get involved with her. He pictured the way her soft features would contort in disgust and fear if she ever learned the truth about what he was. A tiny voice in the back of his mind kept reminding him of the day in Defense three months ago, telling him over and over that _She wouldn't care._ but he ignored it. _She wouldn't want me anyway_. he thought, running his finger over the scars across his face. He was already feeling sick because of the upcoming full moon and thought maybe he should go in soon but he didn't want to stop watching her and even if he did, a wave of nausea came over him and he was fairly certain getting up was not in his best interest right now.

Less than a second later Callie flipped her notebook shut and turned to get to her feet, locking eyes with him and smiling.

Remus returned her smile, waving weakly and Callie started walking over. Part of him didn't want to talk to her when he was feeling so sick and clammy and achy, which certainly wasn't helped by the beautiful girl walking toward him, but he couldn't really bring himself to _not_ want to talk to her, even now.

"Hey Remus."

"Hey Callie." Remus slowly got to his feet, trying to hide how awful he felt.

"Are you alright?" She asked. "You look kind of pale."

"Oh." He swallowed, trying to ignore the nerves and the nausea. "Yeah, I've been feeling a little...sick." He said dully.

"I can tell. Do you need anything?" She frowned.

He tried to tell her that he was fine but she looked so concerned for him and _Merlin, her eyes are so blue._ He couldn't remember what he wanted to say anymore. She stepped closer, reaching toward him at the same time that he managed to start to speak.

"I'm fi-"

Then he quickly turned around and threw up behind the tree he'd been sitting under, grabbing onto it for support.

Callie jumped over and was now standing beside him, with one hand on his shoulder and the other rubbing small circles comfortingly on his back while he vomited.

When he was done he squeezed his watery eyes shut and leaned against the tree, his face burning, especially upon realizing that he'd thrown up on her boots.

"Are you alright?" She asked again.

"I'm so sorry." He said quietly.

"Sorry?" She looked confused. "For what?" Remus glanced down at her shoes but she couldn't have cared less as she put her arm around him and lead the shaky boy towards the school.

They got near the doors around the same time that James and Lily were walking in, trailing behind the rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team.

"Merlin, Moony, what happened?" James asked, looking his friend up and down.

"I'm _sick_." He said slowly, and James nodded, remembering the full moon was that night.

"You should go see madam Pomfrey." Callie said.

"Oh, no, it's not that bad. I just need to lie down." Remus insisted, wanting nothing more than to go to his bed and curl up until it was time to go to the shrieking shack.

"I can take him from here." James offered.

Callie looked like she was going to object for a second, but nodded. James gripped his arm and said goodbye to Lily as he lead his friend up to the Gryffindor dorms.

"Feel better." The girls both said.

It felt like it took forever but finally Remus was collapsing on his bed, burying his face in a pillow.

"I can't believe I did that."

"Did what?" James asked, sitting on the floor beside his bed.

"I threw up on her shoes!" He moaned, covering his eyes with his hands. "I just felt so sick, and then she came over to see if I was okay and, wow her eyes are so blue, and I just..." He made a sweeping motion with his hands before covering his face again.

James exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.

"Could have been worse."

Remus buried his face back in his pillow.

"At least it was just her shoes." He clarified.

"I am never leaving this bed again."

"Well, that might make tonight a little complicated, but we'll make it work." James said lightly.

When Remus didn't remove his face from his pillow for a while James nudged him.

"She didn't seem to care much about her shoes. She was worried about you, that's good."

"I don't _want_ her to worry about me. I want - I want-" he yelled into his pillow before continuing. "I want to be able to ask a girl out without knowing she'll leave the second she finds out what I am!"

"I don't think Callie would-"

"I want to go one full month without feeling like _this_! I want to be _NORMAL_ , and get close to her and I just- I just want this all to be _OVER_!" He flung his pillow at the wall in frustration, pulling at his hair as he fell back on the bed.

James frowned sadly, not sure what to say. He knew this was about more than just Callie but he couldn't think of any other way to comfort his friend.

"She already said she wouldn't fault you for what you are." He finally pointed out.

"She wasn't talking about me. She doesn't know any werewolves, as far as she knows. And she might not blame me but you can't tell me she wouldn't be terrified."

"I can and I am telling you exactly that."

James looked at the pale, skinny, sick looking boy who pushed them to study forgot to wear matching socks half the time and tried to imagine anyone finding him terrifying.

"Look mate, I'm not saying you should go down there and tell her everything, I just think you should give her a chance."

Remus shook his pounding head.

"After today I'm never even looking at her again." He asserted.

James chuckled.

"Yeah right. I've tried that myself, it doesn't work." He recalled third year, when he finally accepted his feelings for Lily and decided to force them to disappear.

He'd just ended up crazier about her and more frustrated than ever.

"You can't just stop yourself from feeling this way about her."

"It's worked with every other girl I've ever been interested in." Remus pointed out.

"You never let them get close enough for it to matter though. This is different and you know it." Remus groaned, twisting his wand to bring his pillow back, and staring up at the ceiling.

"What am I gonna do?"

"You _could_ stop acting like it's the end of the world because you're finally genuinely interested in someone."

Remus glared at him and Sirius and Peter came bursting into the room.

"Heard Moony was sick." Sirius said.

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"He threw up on Callie's shoes." James shrugged, earning a loud frustrated groan from Remus.

"Ouch." Sirius muttered. "Are you still in love with her or-" Remus flung his pillow across the room again, this time aiming for Sirius, who caught it and dropped it back on his bed.

"I guess that's a yes."

* * *

Later that night James sat with Sirius, Peter, and Lily at dinner.

"Is Remus alright?" Lily asked.

She was now almost certain he was a werewolf. He'd been sick every month around the full moon, disappeared that time every month over the summer, and she was really starting to worry about him.

"He'll be fine." James said reassuringly.

She was fairly certain his friends knew about his condition, though not sure enough to say anything yet, just in case.

James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter was also pretty sure Lily had figured out his secret but no one was going to say anything before she did. Remus was terrified but James and Sirius told him over and over that if she had figured it out and was still friends with him he had nothing to worry about and Peter told him over and over that she wasnt the type to tell anyone if she did figure it out.

"I think he's more embarrassed about Callie's shoes than anything." Sirius added.

"Oh, Callie was hoping he hadn't noticed that." Lily sighed. "She didn't want him to feel bad. It came right off."

Within a few minutes Callie sat down beside her.

"Remus isn't eating?" She asked immediately.

"He didn't feel up to coming down." James said, though it was more because he didn't want to face Callie than because he felt sick.

"He should really be eating." She said thoughtfully.

James, Sirius, and Peter exchanged a glance and Peter spoke up.

"Maybe _someone_ should bring him something." He hinted.

"I will." Callie volunteered, gathering a few things she didn't think would make him feel worse and a couple napkins and heading up to the sixth year Gryffindor boys dormitory.

"Remus?" She called as she knocked on the door.

Remus froze, propping himself up on one arm and staring over at the door from his spot on his bed.

"Er- yeah?" He responded slowly.

Callie opened the door and stepped in.

"James said you weren't feeling up to coming down and Peter said someone should bring you something." She said.

"And they made you?" He tried to joke.

" _Actually_ I volunteered."

Remus just stared at her for a moment, a small smile on his face as Callie walked over and took a seat on his bed. He'd spent so much time keeping anyone who wasn't James, Sirius, or Peter at arm's length that he realized he wasn't used to anyone else in school caring about his wellbeing.

"You didn't have to..." He started as she pushed the plate toward him.

"Well you need to eat."

He slowly started picking at some of the food she brought, staring down at the plate.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked after a few minutes.

"A little. I'm uh...sorry about your shoes." He apologized, shifting awkwardly and poking at the plate.

"Oh, I don't care about that." She waved her hand dismissively. "One quick spell and it was taken care of."

Remus finally looked up at her.

"I was going to go to the hospital wing. Maybe you could walk with me?" He asked quietly, realizing he was being foolish.

"Of course. After you finish eating." She said.

Remus chuckled but finished the food she brought him and got out of bed.

Normally his walk down to the hospital wing and then the shrieking shack was miserable but Callie actually made this bearable. By the time they got there the was actually laughing when he turned to her.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" She nodded, still smiling, but now Remus could see the concern on her face when she looked up at him.

"Tomorrow." Remus agreed, firmly reminding himself that that worried look was exactly why he could never be with her and hating himself for it when his heart skipped a beat as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight hug.

She smelled like winter but he felt so warm and happy with her, he wanted nothing more than to pull back and kiss her, bring her back up to the common room and spend the night sitting with her, talking, watching the moon, but he couldn't do that. Not tonight, not ever.

She deserved someone who could do that every night and he could never be that person.

Callie kissed him on the cheek, and said goodnight to him. She could tell that there was something more going on than just Remus feeling sick. He seemed so sad and broken but she decided to wait until he felt better to ask what was wrong.

Remus watched her walk away, still smiling until he turned to the doors of the hospital wing and was reminded of why he was there.

Callie decided to walk around the castle before heading back up to the dormitory. She knew she'd spend the night worried sick about Remus and wanted to distract herself for a little bit.

"Full moon tonight, Moore." A voice sneered behind her.

She rolled her eyes, not in the mood to deal with Jonathan Dryer at the moment when a curse hit her in the back and knocked her out cold.

* * *

Remus heard a strange sound as he made his way to the shrieking shack. He checked his watch and decided that he had just enough time to investigate quickly before he had to be in the shack so he shoved the bottle with his potion in it in hit pocket and exited the tunnel to the shrieking shack, promising himself he'd only be a second.

* * *

James, Sirius, and Peter headed out of the school under James's invisibility cloak, their map held tightly in Sirius's hand so no one would catch them when Peter noticed something strange.

"Look," he said. "Jonathan Dryer is leaving the castle with Callie." He pointed.

Sure enough they were there on the map walking by the whomping willow together. A minute later Sirius noticed Jonathan was coming back to the castle alone and the three boys looked at each other.

"What do you think that means?" Peter asked.

"Lets go out by the whomping willow." James said, so they headed to an exit closest to the tree, all uneasy. Not surprisingly they passed Jonathan on his way back in, catching up with Severus Snape and a few other Slytherins.

"Where were you?" Snape asked.

"Teaching Callie Moore a lesson." He smirked.

As soon as they were out of the school the three boys sprinted into the forest, fearing the worst. It was getting dark and the map confirmed that she was not in the castle. Not far in they found Callie lying on the ground, Remus kneeling over her, shaking her.

"Callie, wake up! Please! You have to get out of here." He begged, beginning to panic. It was dark, the moon was rising, and he didn't have time to get her somewhere safe before he changed. The three of them ran to their side. Callie looked like she'd been beaten, her head was bleeding, her shirt was torn and she was covered in small cuts and bruises. James pointed his wand at her, muttered a spell he'd heard his mother use a few times and prayed for it to work. It did, and Callie started to open her eyes. She looked up at the four panicked boys in confusion.

"Remus? Guys? W-what happened? How did I get here?" She sat up, holding her head.

"You need to get back to the castle!" Remus said frantically, pulling her to her feet.

"Whats-" She shook her head in confusion.

Why was she in the forest? Why was Remus crying and everyone else yelling, and why did she feel like she'd been hit by a train?

"Wormtail, the tree, now! We'll never make it to the castle on time!" Sirius pushed Peter forward and he turned into a small rat and ran for the whomping willow.

"Moony, get out of here! Now!" James yelled.

He grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled Remus away from Callie, hoping to keep him out of her sight long enough to keep his secret. Sirius wrapped his arm around her, supporting her so that they could run toward the whomping willow. As he dragged her out of the forest she had just enough time to see Remus's terrified face shifting painfully into a wolf. His scream turned to a howl as Sirius dragged her to the now still whomping willow. He shoved her into the opening, barely falling in behind her before Remus started chasing them, followed closely by a large stag. Callie tripped into the tunnel, which thankfully wasn't big enough for a werewolf to fit through, though they could see him running over as she got shakily to her feet.

"Remus." She said sadly, jerking away from the opening as he started fighting to get in, eyeing her viciously. She narrowly missed a clawed arm as it swiped for her. Callie stifled a scream, having just a second to look him in the eye before one of the branches violently threw him away from the opening, she fell against the wall, dizzy and tried to catch breath.

"There's no time, come on!"

Sirius took her hand and pulled her quickly along the passage until Remus's growls became more and more distant. He trusted James and Peter to get him away from the school now that they were gone so he just had to get Callie to the hospital wing.

"Wait! James and Peter!" She shrieked, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"They'll be fine." He nodded. "I'll explain everything when we get to the castle. What were you doing out there?"

"I- I don't know. I walked Remus to the hospital wing and I was going back to the common room and then Johnathan Dryer was talking to me. I ignored him, I thought he was just being annoying. He must have done this." She gestured to her bruised body. "I r-remember him yelling a spell. He knocked me out. Git couldn't even attack me when I was awake." She grumbled.

"We heard him saying something about 'teaching you a lesson' before we found you." Sirius added.

"He said in class a few months ago that he wanted to leave me in the forest on the full moon." She remembered. "Remus..." She glanced over her shoulder one more time before they entered the castle, wondering what he must have been thinking that day in class.

"He'll be okay." Sirius assured her. "We have to get you to the hospital wing and talk to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore?"

"Dryer could have gotten you killed, even without the werewolf!" He said angrily. "Leaving you out in the forest on a freezing cold night, unconscious in just jeans and a tshirt. He must have beaten you when you were out too, Callie, look at you. We can't let him get away with this."

Callie nodded but now that the adrenaline was wearing off she felt very weak.

Sirius glanced uneasily at the injury on her head and swept her up into his arms, carrying her toward the hospital wing. Dumbledore and McGonagall found them when they were half way there.

"Mr. Black!" McGonagall called.

Sirius turned around to look at her, still holding Callie and she gasped. "What happened to her?!"

"Jonathan Dryer..." Callie said weakly.

"I was just wandering around and I overheard him saying he left her in the forest. And Remus-" Sirius stammered.

"Severus Snape was telling the truth." McGonagall gasped.

"Snape? He told you-" Sirius said, shocked that Severus Snape had actually done something good for once.

"Yes, as you should have before you went running into the forbidden forest by yourself!" She scolded.

"There was no time." Callie said. "If he'd come by just a minute later I'd be dead. And poor Remus...he'd never forgive himself..." She said, her voice weak and tears streaming down her face.

Everything was blurry and she was having trouble keeping her eyes open but she was too stubborn to pass out just yet.

"That was very noble of you, Mr. black." Dumbledore said. "But we should get Ms. Moore to the hospital wing right away." Sirius nodded and followed them.

"Will he be okay?" She mumbled, slurring her words a bit.

"Huh?"

"Remus..."

Sirius smiled. He'd been so caught up in getting her out of danger that he didn't even stop to wonder how she'd take the truth about Remus but he took her concern as a sign that she still cared.

"He'll be alright." Dumbledore assured her.

"Won't be feeling great in the morning but he'll live." Sirius nodded.


	6. Friends and Monsters

**I still don't own anything except my appreciation for whoever reads this. :)**

When Madam Pomfrey came to get Remus the next morning he knew something was wrong. She handed him two potions immediately and told him to drink, which was unusual. He knew one of them was meant to put him to sleep and she usually waited for him to get to the hospital wing before giving it to him because of how quickly it worked.

He was so achy and still very foggy on what had happened last night but he got the feeling that he didn't want to remember it just yet.

He drank them both and was hardly conscious when he got to the hospital wing. He woke up enough to see Callie sleeping in the bed beside the one he was being directed too, bruised and with a bandage on her head.

Panic hardly had time to set in before he fell asleep.

* * *

Remus was fast asleep in the bed beside her when Callie woke up. He was covered in scratches and bruises like her, but much worse. She and Sirius had already talked to Dumbledore and someone from the ministry about Dryer before Remus was brought back into the school and she was absolutely furious. Not only could she have died, what would have happened to Remus?

James, Sirius, and Peter were all there as well, waiting for them to wake up.

"How are you feeling?" James asked.

"Been better. Not nearly as bad as he'll feel when he wakes up." She frowned, getting out of bed to sit beside her friend.

"Pomfrey will kill you if she sees you out of bed." Peter said, but Callie ignored him and reached out to Remus. He was burning up likes he had a fever, sweat sticking his hair to his forehead.

Callie brushed it away, and took his hand, still staring down at him when she spoke to their friends.

"What happened to you two?"

James and Peter both glanced over at each other, wondering if there was any sense in lying.

"We found out about Remus years ago. Dumbledore made arraignments for him to be able to attend school here safely, the shrieking shack isn't really haunted, that's just a cover. Its safe place for him to go during the full moon." James started, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"The passage under the whomping willow also leads there." Sirius added.

"When we learned how awful becoming a werewolf is we sort of-" James waved his hand in front of him, struggling with what he was about to say. "Well, we couldn't let him go through it alone." He reasoned.

"We became animagi. I'm a dog, James is a stag, and Pete's a rat. We go with him once a month so he doesn't hurt himself."

Callie finally looked up at them, wide eyed and nearly in tears, absolutely in awe of the three boys in front of her.

"You did all that just to help him?" She said. "Thats- that's amazing. There are wizards twice your age who can't do that."

"Yeah, well don't tell anyone, it's also kind of illegal." Sirius brushed off her praise. "We're not exactly registered."

Callie nodded, looking down at her sleeping friend again. Even asleep he looked like he was in pain and it made her feel awful.

"Dumbledore was back when you were asleep. Dryers being expelled." James said. "Maybe even arrested. Dumbledore is keeping Remus a secret though. Dryer didn't know. Remus has always been terrified of someone here finding out." He tilted his head toward Callie and gave her a very pointed look.

"I'd never say anything." Callie promised before they even asked. "Poor Remus." She sighed. "He doesn't deserve this."

"We know." James agreed.

"Thats why we couldn't leave him alone."

James recognized the look on her face. It was the same helpless way they all looked at him after the full moon, like she wanted to help her friend but she knew there was nothing she could do except support him.

He watched the two of them sadly, knowing Remus would be completely horrified when he woke up. He only hoped he would give Callie the chance to prove to him what she'd already proved to his friends; that she cared deeply about him no matter what. When she was asleep Sirius told them how she had been worrying about him the entire time they were together, even when she was talking about what Dryer had done she'd talked more about the effect her death would have had on Remus than the fact that she could have been torn apart by a werewolf.

 _Maybe now he'll give her a chance_. He wondered, though he knew realistically after this he was more likely to try pushing her away harder than ever.

* * *

Remus jolted awake, wincing in pain from the night before. James, Sirius, Peter, professor Dumbledore, and Madam Pomfrey were all standing around him, the curtains around his bed in the hospital wing now shut. He felt very dizzy, and could only recall bits and pieces of the night before. He remembered finding Callie lying unconscious on the ground in the forest and James, Sirius, and Peter finding them. Were they too late? He saw blood on Sirius's shirt but he didn't look injured. His eyes went wide and he felt like he couldn't breathe. Was Dumbledore here to tell him he'd hurt her? Killed her? Is that why everyone was looking at him so solemnly? She had been there last night, so where was she now?

"What happen - d-did I? No-" he stuttered, trying to make sense of last night. "Oh no, no... Callie - is she..."

He felt James sit beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, Sirius on his other side trying to calm him down.

"Just breathe." James said calmly.

"Ms. Moore is perfectly fine." Dumbledore assured him.

"Did I...?" He couldn't finish the thought, squeezing his eyes shut and turning his head down.

He couldn't even bear to think it. If it were at all possible, he looked even paler than usual.

"Jonathan Dryer thought it would be funny to knock her out and leave her in the forest for the night." Sirius said angrily.

"The horrible prick kicked her when she was out, then left her there to freeze to death. Said it was all a _joke_." James shook his head, disgust dripping from his voice. "He doesn't know about you." James assured him. "But if I ever-"

"He will not be returning to the school." Dumbledore interjected. "And his actions will have very severe consequences."

Remus nodded.

"But is she _okay_?" He asked shakily, still having trouble breathing.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling knowingly, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"She is. Now you should get some rest."

When Dumbledore was gone and Madam Pomfrey had done all she had to and retreated back to her office his friends filled him in on the details of what had happened after he changed, trying to be as delicate as possible.

"After you turned I brought Callie back through the tunnel under the willow." Sirius said lightly, trying to make it sound like a simple walk where they weren't being chased by a werewolf.

"And we got you back into the woods where it would be safe." James added, nodding to Peter. "Remember?"

Remus nodded. He was starting to remember the details they were leaving out. Sirius pulling Callie out of the forest and James pulling him farther in. He remembered her crying as she watched him turn and the look on Callies face in the tunnel under the whomping willow as he tried to claw his way in to tear her apart. The terrified, disgusted look he'd been afraid of from the moment he realized how strongly he felt about her.

"She saw me." He breathed.

The boys all went silent.

"She saw me change into a monster." He sounded so broken, he stared down at his bruised fists on his lap as he spoke, unable to look at his friends.

"And – i-in the tunnel," his voice became thicker and he buried his face in his hands. "I could have - I tried to - oh god, _no_."

He was vaguely aware of his friends trying to comfort him as he sobbed into his hands but all he could see was the look on her face. He could still hear her screaming in the back of his mind.

"She'll never look at me again. She must hate me! Everyone will know that I'm a monster." He cried, squeezing his eyes shut and ducking his head down, covering it with his arms and pulling at his hair as if he could physically rip the memory of what he'd done from his mind.

"I could have killed her _. I'm a monster_."

James, Sirius, and Peter tried to calm him down but he could hardly hear them. He didn't notice the curtain opening or a fifth person sitting on his bed in front of him until someone pulled his arms away from his head and wrapped him in a tight hug.

When he opened his eyes he saw brown hair through his tears, and was initially confused because he thought it was Sirius, but it was a much lighter shade and whoever was holding him was much smaller and was rubbing their hand up and down his bare, aching back soothingly.

And they smelled like winter.

He wrapped his arms around Callie, clinging to her and crying into her shirt.

"I'm so sorry." He repeated over and over.

Callie held him tighter.

"Shhhh, its fine. You didn't do anything." She whispered. "I'm okay. Everything is okay."

He gripped the back of her shirt tightly, still barely able to breathe and sobbing. Callie just held him for a while, trying to calm him down as much as she could while he mumbled apologies laced with the word 'monster' over and over.

"Remus, what's your middle name?" She whispered gently.

"W-what?"

"Whats your middle name?" She repeated, still rubbing his back.

Remus hesitated and the rest of the boys looked at her funny.

"John." He choked out, still fighting to breathe normally.

"And what's my middle name?" She asked, leaning her cheek against his head, already knowing she'd never told him.

"I - I don't know..." He said slowly.

"It's Evelyn. What class were we in when we first met?"

Remus thought for a moment.

"Transfiguration…"

The boys watched their friend slowly calming down as he answered her questions and realized what she was doing.

Callie hesitated, trying to think of another question.

"What do you smell right now?" She asked, expecting him to describe the hospital wing.

"Winter." He muttered quickly, burying his face in her shoulder. "You smell like winter."

Callie wasn't expecting that but she didn't mind. She continued running her hand gently up and down his back.

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

Something about being so young and going through all this made her heart ache for him. When she was satisfied that her random questions had distracted him enough to calm down she leaned back just enough to take his face in her hands, gently because he was so bruised from the whomping willow and whatever else had happened last night, she made him look at her, wiping his tears away with her sleeve.

"Remus, you have nothing to be sorry about. You didn't do anything wrong, stop apologizing. I don't hate you. I'm not going to tell anyone anything and you're not going anywhere." She said firmly.

Remus looked her in the eye and nodded slowly. Now that he had calmed down he was both relieved that Callie didn't hate him and embarrassed by his outburst. She didn't seem to mind though, she smiled and kissed his forehead.

Remus rested his head on her shoulder again, loosening his grip but not letting go just yet.

"You're not afraid of me?" He whispered.

Callie laughed quietly.

"Nah, I think I can take you." She teased, finally getting a weak smile out of him.

"We'll let the two of you get some rest." James said, patting Remus on the shoulder. Sirius and Peter said their goodbyes and opened the curtain to find a very teary eyed madam Pomfrey sitting on the bed Callie was supposed to be in, having heard everything when she saw the bed empty and came to drag her back.

"Ms. Moore," she sniffled, trying to pretend she hadn't been listening. "Get back in bed. You have a concussion and his ribs are broken, you both need to rest!" She snapped, though her features were soft.

Callie pressed one last gentle kiss to Remus's forehead, trying to be as gentle as possible as she let him go, though she didn't leave his side until he was already lying down.

She sat down on her own bed, taking a potion madam Pomfrey offered her and lying back herself.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at the two of them before going back to her office. Ever since his first full moon at school, when she'd spent the day sitting by the bedside of the poor broken little boy she'd always had a soft spot for Remus Lupin. She knew the world would be hard on him and it made her happy to see that at least here he had people who accepted him.

* * *

James, Sirius, and Peter entered the common room early in the morning, expecting everyone to be asleep, but instead they found Lily Evans sitting awake in a chair.

"What are you doing up so early?" James asked uneasily.

"Callie never came back last night." She said worriedly. "None of you did either. And there's blood on your shirt, Sirius. What happened?" She stood up to face them and the three boys all scrambled to think of a response before she continued. "I heard that Johnathan Dryer was expelled late last night. And Remus isn't here either, and you've all been gone all night, and somehow Gryffindor's suddenly gained twenty-five points when everyone but you three, Remus, and Callie were in bed." She listed off everything she knew and had been trying in vain to connect since she woke up two hours ago to find Callie's bed empty.

Lily crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not about to leave without answers none of them seemed ready to give as they boys tried to think of something she'd believe.

"Is Remus a werewolf?" She said finally.

Peter glanced between his two friends, both speechless. Sirius's eyes went wide and he tried to laugh like she was being ridiculous. James stepped toward Lily, running a hand through his hair.

Lily uncrossed her arms and looked from one boy to the next, taking a deep breath.

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine." James nodded.

"Perfect!" Sirius exclaimed. "Just perfect, two in one night. Remus will be thrilled!" He threw his arms up, dropping down into a seat.

"Two?" Lily asked, sitting down on a couch, followed by James.

"Callie figured it out tonight too." James said.

"Well," Peter added. "She didn't really 'figure it out'."

Sirius rolled his eyes and James gave her a shortened version of what had happened over night.

"You- you're an animagus?" She stammered, wide eyed.

"Yeah- " James started to defend the decision when Lily threw her arms around him, nearly knocking his glasses off.

"You stupid, stupid boys, that has to be the sweetest thing I've ever heard in my life!" She gasped.

James laughed and Sirius smirked at the two of them.

"Can I see him?" She asked as soon as she let James go.

"Later." James nodded. "He needs to rest now, and Pomfrey might kill us if we come back and bother him."

"You should probably let us talk to him first." Sirius added.

Lily nodded, realizing how terrifying the thought of someone learning his secret must be for Remus. Werewolves weren't exactly well accepted members of society. Of course he had nothing to worry about with her. Remus was her friend and one of the best people she knew.

"Whatever would make him feel best." She agreed.

James leaned tiredly against the back of the couch, listening to Lily worry about one of his best friends. As if she could be any more perfect for him, she was so accepting of something that would repulse most people. As much as he'd adored her over the years he'd always secretly known Remus's condition would be what made or broke his feelings for her, not that he thought anything would change the way he felt about her, but he could never be with someone who didn't accept Remus completely. This was the final straw, there was no doubt in his mind that Lily Evans was the perfect person for him in every way.

Eventually James fell asleep, too tired to know how, but when he woke up Lily was lying across the couch, asleep herself, and he was lying with his head on her lap and one of her arms thrown over him. They were alone in the common room, Sirius and Peter apparently having gone to bed. He watched her sleep until he heard people waking up in the dormitories and reluctantly decided to wake her up before anyone came down and misinterpreted things.

He was surprised and _so_ happy when the first thing she did after opening her eyes was smile at him. Lily couldn't help thinking that he looked so cute, his glasses askew and his hair even messier than usual.

"Come on." He said. "Lets go get breakfast."

Lily stretched her arms above her head as he got to his feet, yawning and letting her head drop against the back of the couch, closing her eyes again.

"Come on." He nudged.

Lily made a tired sound of protest but eventually got to her feet and followed him into the hall.

"We can go see Remus and Callie after if you want." He said.

Lily bit her lip, looking down at the floor for a second.

"Do you think he'll be mad at me? For figuring it out, I mean."

James reached up to his hair again, as he did way too often when he was thinking or nervous, and shook his head.

"He's been worrying for a while now that you were figuring it out. We told him you weren't the type to hate him for it but I guess he'll just have to see for himself."

Lily thought for a moment, then frowned. She knew Remus had feelings for Callie (anyone who was in the same room as them for five minutes knew that) and she now realized that it started around the time of Callie's outburst over werewolves in DADA. Dryer had been taunting her ever since, howling when she walked by or making strange, vaguely threatening comments to her. No one ever thought he'd actually hurt her though. If James, Sirius, and Peter had been just a few minutes behind Remus could have killed her, and she knew Remus was such a kind gentle person that knowing this had to be tearing the poor boy apart.

"How did he take everything with Callie?"

James puffed out his cheeks, exhaling slowly and raising his eyebrows.

"He was pretty devastated. When he first woke up he was terrified that he might have hurt her."

Lily's heart sunk for him.

"But…Callie accepts him, right?"

"Easier than I ever expected, honestly."

Callie had accepted him as quickly as the Marauders had, even after nearly being killed by him. He told Lily how she didn't stop worrying about him until she saw him again, how she cared for him and held his hand and comforted him when he woke up.

Lily smiled.

"Sounds like Callie. More worried about everyone else than herself."

"It's pretty obvious Remus is completely in love with her. Do you think she feels the same?"

"Oh, _definitely_." Lily laughed.

Callie hadn't said anything but she could tell by the way she talked about him that she never stopped thinking about the boy, and Remus deserved someone who cared about him like she did.

Outside of the Great Hall Lily stopped walking, taking James by the hand. She'd been denying it for a while but now she finally accepted the truth. Now that she was getting to know him she was definitely starting to fall for James Potter. She took a step closer to him, looking up into his eyes through her long lashes.

Something about the look she was giving him made his heart beat harder. Without realizing what he was doing the hand that wasn't in hers wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer.

"I think I underestimated you, James."

James barely managed a nod. She was so close he could feel her breathing but somehow it still wasn't close enough.

Her lips were just touching his when a loud thud startled them both apart. They glanced around, looking for the source, but neither of them could see Snape around the corner, picking up the large hardcover book he'd slammed on the floor in an effort to break them away from each other.

Blushing furiously, Lily smiled over at James, who's heart was still racing, his mind scrambling to process what had just happened, and took his hand back in hers as the entered the nearly empty Great Hall for breakfast.


	7. Just the Beginning

**I still own nothing but my OCs and my thank yous for the wonderful people who read, favorited, followed and reviewed! Thank you so much and I hope you all got to enjoy the Cursed Child this weekend! 3**

"How are you feeling?" James asked from a chair beside Remus's bed.

"Been worse." He shrugged, leaning against his pillows.

James seemed anxious, but Remus suspected it probably had something to do with how upset he'd been when he woke up. He glanced over at Callie, who was still asleep, having only gotten an hour or so before waking up and waiting to make sure he would be okay, only turning back when James spoke again.

"So. Something sort of happened. A few things, actually." James leaned forward so his elbows were on his knees.

Remus frowned, he could tell something was up as James tried to think of what to say. He knew Remus had already been upset enough and wanted to be as reassuring as possible.

"So – you know Lily." He started.

"Lily who? The one you never shut up about?"

James cleared his throat loudly before continuing, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"And you know – she's so smart. Very smart. Nothing really gets past her, you know?" He chuckled nervously.

"James…" Remus pressed slowly.

"So, funny story about her, she was in the common room when we got back this morning. Worried, you know, because none of us came back last night."

Remus leaned toward him, beginning to feel uneasy. James glanced around the hospital wing, looking anywhere but at his friend as he fidgeted with his hands.

 _"_ _And?"_

James took a deep breath, finally looking at his friend.

"She may or may not have figured everything out." He said finally, still with the same nervous smile.

Remus's eyes went wide and he struggled to find something to say when James held up his hands.

"It's okay though, really! You can trust her!" He assured him.

"Great! Is anyone else going to figure out that I'm a monster today? Should we make a banner to hang in the common room?" He groaned.

"Remus Lupin, you _idiot_!" Lily stepped out from where she was hiding behind the curtain around his bed and threw her arms around her surprised friend. "You're wonderful, don't you dare say anything else!"

She stood back and frowned when she noticed all the bruises he had from the night before.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He shrugged, wincing slightly from the pain in his torso. "Last night was…unusual."

Lily sighed sadly. She didn't doubt that he'd been worse but just the thought seemed horrible.

"I'm glad you're alright. I've sort of suspected this for a while, but…well I've been worried about you, Remus. James said you didn't want anyone to know, and I kind of assumed that anyway so I never said anything before but I was so worried when no one came back last night. I didn't mean to say anything about it, really, but I _promise_ you can trust me. I won't say a word, I swear." She assured him.

"I know." Remus nodded. "I just…didn't want anyone to think differently of me."

Lily shook her head and hugged her friend, muttering about how ridiculous the idea was. When she let go she glanced over at Callie, who had fallen asleep on her side facing him.

"I can't believe Dryer actually attacked Callie like that. He had to have known she would have died out there. In the middle of the night in the woods." She shook her head, angry with herself for not taking his threats more seriously.

"With me." Remus sighed.

Huh?" Lily's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion for a second before her eyes widened when she realized what he meant.

"Remus, that's not what I was trying to say!" She insisted.

"Didn't have to be. I could have-" he stopped himself, still not ready to finish that sentence.

Instead he clenched his mouth shut and looked down. Lily tilted her head to the side, looking sadly at her friend. She knew it was true, a werewolf would attack anyone they came across. If his friends hadn't been there Callie would be dead and Merlin knew where Remus would be.

"Stop talking like that, Remus." Callie sighed, surprising them all.

She sat up, still half asleep and looked over at them, rubbing her eyes tiredly. She knew the only thing he'd been able to think of all morning was what could have happened to her. She couldn't blame him for feeling terrible, but she still wanted to convince him that he didn't have too. Even if something had happened to her she never would have blamed him. He wasn't himself when he changed and she knew that.

"How's your head feeling?" Lily asked.

"It's fine. Dryer had a weak kick anyway." She waved her hand dismissively.

* * *

James and Lily talked quietly on their way out of the hospital wing when voices from around the corner caught their attention.

It was McGonagall and Dumbledore, talking in a hushed, panicked tone. James quickly held his finger over his mouth, quietly telling Lily to stay silent as the two of them strained to listen.

"-the dark mark? Are you sure?" McGonagall asked.

"Positive." Dumbledore sighed.

"Do you think there are others in the school?"

"It's very likely. We'll have to keep a close eye on some of our more... At risk students."

"What about the muggle born students? Do you think they're in any danger? The way he attacked poor Ms. Moore last night. He told Severus Snape that he did this because she was dishonoring her blood status. And now he... "

The two professors stepped closer to where James and Lily were listening in and Lily quickly grabbed James by the hand and pulled him into an empty classroom, hiding behind the door rather than closing it.

"Now he what?" Lily whispered in frustration, trying to hear as they walked away.

James was more concerned about McGonagall's question about the muggleborns. He cast a worried glance at Lily, who was biting her lip and staring off, lost in thought.

"You don't think it was Dryer, do you? Who had the dark mark, I mean." She asked, snapping James out of his worry.

"It must have been." He said. "Unless another student has been expelled and we haven't heard yet." Lily nodded and turned to leave but James grabbed her hand, pulling her back and locking his hazel eyes on her green ones with a look he'd never given her before.

"Be careful. Please. If there are death eaters in the school...I don't want anything to happen to you." He said, squeezing her hand tightly.

Lily nodded, something inside of her melting at the intense, worried expression on his face.

"Come on, Potter. You've been on the receiving end of enough of my hexes to know I can handle myself." She said lightly, smiling though it didn't reach her eyes and James could tell she truly felt the weight of the situation.

"What should we do? Should we spread this around, make sure people watch their backs?" James asked.

"That would just start a panic. There's enough rivalry in this school without everyone wondering if they sat beside a death eater in Charms. We should tell Callie though. And Sirius, since as far as anyone knows he's the only one who rescued her."

Every day outside more and more people were dying, being cursed or tortured. There was no denying the war that they'd thought was waiting for them after school but if their classmates could be death eaters too then clearly the war wasn't waiting for them to leave Hogwarts, it was coming for them, and they had to be ready for it.

What had happened to Callie could be just the beginning.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey let Remus and Callie go later that afternoon, just in time for dinner.

Remus walked silently beside her, looking straight ahead rather than at her and deflecting any attempt she made at starting a conversation.

"Remus, did I do something?" She asked after a while.

"What do you mean?"

"You haven't even looked at me since we left the hospital wing. And-"

"You don't have to be friends with me." He said quickly.

He'd been trying not to say it all day but he felt like he had to. He didn't want her staying friends with him out of sympathy and she was such a kind person he couldn't imagine it would be easy for her to find a reason to ditch him herself. He'd decided hours ago that the only thing he wanted less than losing her was to end up hurting her and it seemed like the only way to avoid that _was_ to lose her anyway, so it really was better if she didn't want to be his friend.

Callie stopped to look at him but Remus kept walking. She stepped in front of him blocking his way and stared him in the eye, standing close enough to make his heart race.

"Remus, why the _hell_ wouldn't I want to be friends with you?"

"Because - I'm... I'm a monster. I tried to _kill_ you, Callie." He said sadly, stepping back away from her.

"As a werewolf, Remus, that wasn't you."

"It was part of me."

"But not the part that matters. Remus, this is what matters."

She stepped closer again and put her hand over his heart.

"This is who you are." She insisted, moving her hand up to his cheek. "This is the Remus that I care about. This Remus would never hurt anyone."

"But-"

"And this Remus is my friend and I'm not going to abandon you over something that isn't your fault." She said more firmly.

Remus closed his eyes and sighed, reaching up and putting his hand over the one that was still on his face. As much as he knew he should be pushing her a way as far as he could it just felt so good to know that she cared about him. Callie was one of the most stubborn people he had ever met and he knew she'd pull him back just as hard as he pushed her away and he wanted so badly to stay close to her that he doubted he'd have the willpower to keep trying, so instead he swore to himself he'd do whatever he could to keep her safe.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He said after a while, opening his eyes to look at her.

"And I won't."

She smiled reassuringly and took a step closer to him.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me." She added quietly.

Remus stared sadly down at her eyes, then her lips. It would be so easy to just lean forward and kiss her and he wanted to more than anything but he couldn't. He had no way of knowing that Callie was thinking about the same thing, telling herself that after the night he'd had she shouldn't push anything like that for a while.

He pulled her hand away from his face, still holding it in his and smiled faintly at her. He didn't know what to say to express how grateful he was for everything she'd done today.

"Lets get to dinner before there's nothing left." She said, nodding her head towards the end of the hall.

The two of them walked into the Great Hall to find James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table, huddled closely together.

"Finally!" Sirius exclaimed when the two of them sat down. "These two won't tell us anything." He pointed to James and Lily.

"About what?" Remus asked.

"We wanted to wait for them, since it concerns Callie just as much as you." Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Well here she is so what the bloody hell is it?" Sirius pressed, leaning forward.

Lily took a breath, glancing apprehensively at him and Callie, then at James as he began speaking.

"We overheard Dumbledore and McGonagall talking after we visited you this morning. Apparently Dryer told Snape that he attacked you because you were dishonoring your blood status." He made a disgusted sound as he finished the sentence, glancing up at the now mostly healed injury on Callie's head.

"Well, I guess that makes sense. He wouldn't be the first person to call me or my family blood traitors." Callie shrugged, though she constantly worried for her family when she was away from them. "But what does it matter? What he did last night was so half-assed, I really don't think he thought it through at all."

"A bad plan, yes, but I don't think it was an impulsive one. People are dying every day because someone thinks they're a blood traitor or a muggleborn. I think he was trying to prove something." Lily said.

"What makes you say that?" Remus asked.

James and Lily exchanged a tense look, before looking each of their friends in the eye.

"He had the mark. The dark mark." James said quietly. "He was a death eater. That's why he attacked you."

Peter went pale and Sirius's mouth fell open. Remus tensed while Callie stared wide eyed at them.

"Are you sure?" Callie breathed.

James and Lily both nodded.

"We heard Dumbledore confirm it himself." Lily said.

"Keep an eye out." James said urgently. "There could be others. And if one idiot like him is willing to go after a _pureblood_ like that then who knows what the rest could be up to?"

"So what do we do?" Peter asked, looking panicked.

"Nothing. Dryer is gone and we have no way of knowing who else might have the mark. We just have to be careful." Lily frowned.

"I think I have a few ideas who we should look out for." James turned and scowled across the room at Snape, sitting with his back to them at the Slytherin table.

Lily followed his gaze and shook her head.

"Severus is the one who tried to stop it, remember?"

"But why?" Peter asked. "If anyone finds out he said anything he's as good as dead."

"I used to be his friend too, remember?" Callie shrugged. "Until he called Lily a...and I told him that I couldn't hang out with him if he was so interested in the dark arts. He's not the best person but he still wouldn't let me die in the woods."

The boys nodded. Remus watched Callie as she thought, biting her lip anxiously. He wanted to reach out to her and tell her that he'd keep her safe but he'd gotten too close already. If he let himself get carried away he might do something he'd regret so he watched, pretending it didn't bother him as Sirius reached out and put his hand on hers.

"Dryer is gone though. That's good. Just stay alert. You'll be fine." He assured her, squeezing the fingers that were on Remus's face just a few minutes ago. "And you know we won't let anything else happen to you."

Callie smiled at him, looking slightly less worried and squeezed his hand back quickly before reaching to get a drink.

* * *

McGonagall found Callie on her way down to breakfast the next morning and pulled her aside.

"Ms. Moore, how are you feeling?" She asked.

"I'm alright." She nodded.

"That's good to hear. I wanted to speak to you about Mr. Dryer." She said with a nod.

"What about him?" Callie tilted her head and followed the professor down the hall to her office. She had a feeling she was about to tell her the same thing she'd learned from James and Lily last night but didn't say anything. They weren't supposed to know and maybe she could learn something useful.

McGonagall gestured for Callie to sit down as she closed the door and turned to frown at the girl before her. Callie couldn't help notice the deep concern etched in the stern womans face.

"Jonathan Dryer was sentenced to be sent to Azkaban for a year for what he did to you." She started.

"What? But-" Callie was shocked.

"He confessed to wanting you dead. He was under the impression that leaving you in the woods would take the suspicion away from him, had Mr. Black not found you." She frowned, leaning towards her student. "He's missing."

"Missing?" Callie repeated in confusion.

McGonagall nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes. His parents came to visit him and now all three of them are gone. And that's not all. It seems he - he took the dark mark. I shouldn't be telling you this, but I want you to be cautious. They're searching for him, and he couldn't get near the school but just in case, keep your wand on you at all times and keep your eyes open. And please, come to me or another professor if anything happens."

"Do you think my family could be in any danger?" She asked numbly.

"I wish I knew, dear. But they've been warned and I'm sure they'll stay safe." She assured her.

Callie nodded wordlessly, getting to her feet.

"Thank you, professor."

As soon as she left her office she sprinted down the hall to find her friends, her mind racing.


	8. Worried

**Once again I own nothing but my OCs and ideas and I appreciate whoever is reading this!**

Because he was underage _legally_ no one could stop Jonathan Dryer's family from seeing him. Because his dad was a well-respected ministry worker no one expected him and his wife to take his son and disappear. They had enough money and influence that no one doubted he'd get off easy. Unfortunately whatever the dark lord was offering was apparently better than an easy, privileged life and now the Daily Prophet (and half the country) were declaring certain members of magical law enforcement to be absolutely useless.

Callie wasn't particularly worried. She doubted he'd be stupid enough to try and come back to Hogwarts. His (very large) family bank account had been emptied before he disappeared so she was fairly certain he wasn't exactly suffering wherever he was.

James was back to driving Lily insane and she couldn't even be mad about it, which of course made her even more frustrated. With more attacks outside the school every day and growing tension inside the school since Dryer escaped arrest he was constantly worrying that something would happen to her but as frustrating as it was, she'd be lying if she didn't say it was sweet of him to worry.

They all knew it was only a matter of time before things started happening to the muggleborns and it was in early December when a fourth year Hufflepuff boy had his book bag stolen between classes. No one thought too much of it until he returned to his dormitory that night to find everything fluttering around his bed. His notes had the words "mudblood" scrawled over every word and his books were enchanted to attack him and scream horrible things.

Everyone was tense, glancing over their shoulder constantly and no one knew who they could trust.

Lily sat with James, Peter, Sirius, and Remus by the lake, going over their charms homework when James cleared his throat nervously.

"So, Evans...there's a Hogsmeade trip this weekend." He said, taking a deep breath. "Last one before the holidays. And it'll be really crowded and...away from the school." He nodded, fixing his eyes on his charms book. "So, " he cleared his throat again. "Maybe we should go together."

Not surprised the least bit, Lily leaned back and looked up at him.

"As friends. Just...in case anything happens." James reasoned.

Lily eyed him for a second and James braced himself for the usual witty rejection that always followed him asking her to Hogsmeade, though he was hoping that their new friendship might cause her to go easier on him this time around.

"Alright." She nodded.

A smile spread across James's face and he looked up from his charms book. Lily rolled her eyes, but she was smiling at him. He thought back to almost kissing her in the hall a few weeks ago and wondered if she would have said yes if he hadn't added the 'as friends' bit.

Either way he told himself this was a step forward and he was ecstatic.

"What about you Moony? You thinking about asking _anyone_?" Sirius smirked.

Remus tensed, shifting uncomfortably and, like James moments ago, keeping his eyes on his book.

"Nope." He said, shortly.

"You _sure_?" He nudged him and Remus lifted his book toward his face, pretending to read rather than answer his friend.

"Not even a certain blue eyed friend of ours?" Peter hinted.

" _No_." Remus said, his jaw tight, still glaring at his book.

"Come on, guys. Don't pester him." Lily said.

"We're not pestering him." Sirius defended.

"Yeah...did _you_ know he fancied Callie?" Peter asked.

"Well she does now, genius." Sirius said, throwing a crumpled paper at him.

Lily feigned shock.

"Remus and Callie? I had _no_ idea. It's only the most obvious thing in the school." She rolled her eyes.

Remus turned crimson red and buried his face so far in his book he couldn't actually see the words.

"But if he's not ready to ask her out don't push him." She added.

"But it's been _months_. Why haven't you done anything yet?" Sirius asked.

Remus bit the inside of his cheek, still clutching his book. He knew what they would say if he told them and he wasn't in the mood to hear it. It was already hard enough not to act on his feelings without his friends pushing him.

"She wouldn't want me anyway." He shrugged.

He'd spent months telling himself that over and over again. Girls don't like guys like him, covered in scars, constantly sick because they're about to turn into a horrible monster once a month. How could he ask her out when just a few weeks ago he was a wolf who wanted nothing more than to rip out her throat?

"Remus-" Lily put a hand on his arm.

"It doesn't matter. We're just friends. I'm...not interested in her like that." He shook his head and all his friends broke out laughing.

Remus put his book down, glaring at each of them.

"Moony, that...that was probably…the worst lie…ever told." James said between fits of laughter, holding his stomach.

* * *

Callie sat alone at the back of the library with a book on enchanting ordinary objects when a tall, dark haired, Ravenclaw boy approached her.

"Hi. Um, is it okay if I sit here?" He asked, gesturing nervously to the chair beside her. She recognized him as a beater on his houses quidditch team and nodded.

He was attractive, with strong arms and a nice smile but they'd never spoken before, so she was more than a little confused when he approached her.

"I'm Hunter Kelley by the way." He said, sitting down beside her.

"Callie Moore." She smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake.

He took it, looking anxious and continued talking quickly.

"I know. I mean - we've had a few classes together. I know we've never talked before but I heard about what happened a few weeks ago with Jonathan Dryer and it was really horrible of him and I've sort of fancied you for a while and the whole thing kind of made me realize that I should probably do something about that so I was hoping you'd maybe come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend? I know we don't know each other but I thought we could get to know each other and maybe see where it went? If you want. We could-" He realized he was rambling and stopped abruptly, smiling sheepishly at her.

"I'd love to." Callie smiled.

The boy grinned from ear to ear.

"Great! I'll meet you in front of the school and we can walk there together?"

Callie nodded, giggling as he left the library excitedly. Normally she wouldn't go on a date with someone she didn't know but what was the harm? He seemed nice and they'd be surrounded by people anyway. Besides, the only other person she could think of that she'd want to go with was Remus and he didn't seem interested, so why wait for something that might never happen?

Later that night Callie sat beside Lily and across from Remus and Sirius at dinner, a dreamy smile on her face.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Lily asked.

"Nice." Callie mumbled.

"Huh?"

Her friends all looked at her confused before she shook off the dreamy expression.

"Oh - sorry - Hunter Kelley asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him this weekend." She shrugged.

Everyone but her cast a glance at Remus, who froze, his hand tightening around his fork and he refused to look at anyone. He felt like she'd dumped a bucket of ice on his head but he told himself there was no sense in caring. It's not like _he_ could ever ask her out and she was so lovely, could he really expect her to stay single forever?

"The beater from the Ravenclaw quidditch team? Really? You didn't say _yes_ , did you?" Sirius asked.

"As a matter of fact, I did. Why? What's wrong with him?"

"You don't even know him." Lily said, pointing her fork at her.

"He's got weird...hands." Peter said weakly, trying to be helpful.

"He's a cocky prick!" James exclaimed.

"You only know him from quidditch, James and when you're playing you're cocky too. He's sweet. And he's cute. And what's the harm in one date?"

"There's no harm." Remus interjected. "Leave her alone. He seems nice. I'm sure you'll have a great time. I have to go study."

Remus got to his feet and left abruptly, leaving Callie behind him, confused by the behavior of all her friends.

Everyone seemed be against the date, and despite what he said Remus seemed unusually upset. Had she done something to upset him? Callie glanced around the group, all of whom were trying to act casual.

"What's gotten into all of you?"

"We - we're just...worried. You never know who you can trust nowadays." Sirius chuckled.

She didn't quite believe him but it didn't seem like she was going to get any answers right now and besides, the guys were all awful at keeping their mouths shut (except, of course, when it came to Remus) so she knew that if there was anything to know she'd find out soon enough.

After dinner Callie and Lily went up to their dorm together to study. Lily stopped in the doorway, frowning over at her bed.

"What's wrong?" Callie asked.

"Nothing, it's just...the curtains around my bed are closed. I could have sworn I left them open this morning...whatever. Maybe the house elves…" She shook her head and made her way over to her bed, pulling the curtains open, she let out a loud scream.

Callie dropped what she was doing and immediately and jumped off her bed to run to her friend's side.

"What? What is it- oh my god!" Callie shrieked, throwing her hand over her mouth.

The school owl that Lily had sent out with a letter to her parents this morning was completely torn apart, feathers and chunks of the poor bird staining her blankets red. The letter she'd been trying to send was opened on the bed with the words "Go home mudblood" written across it in blood. Lily reached over and picked up the letter, her hand shaking when downstairs they heard a loud thud and ran out of the room to the stairs, realizing too late that the thud had been James and the rest of the Marauders trying to run up to the girls dorm to investigate the screaming.

The two of them tumbled down the slide that had replaced the stairs and into the four boys who had just gotten to their feet, knocking them down like bowling pins into a heap on the floor.

"What happened?" James asked, helping Lily to her feet.

"M-my bed! Someone put a dead owl in my bed!" She cried.

"What!" James yelled. "Who?"

"If I knew I wouldn't be standing here, I'd be hexing them into next week! That poor bird was torn apart! Whoever did this is _sick_!" She yelled.

"You should go to get to McGonagall and tell her what happened." James said.

Lily took a few deep breaths and nodded. They had no way of finding out who'd done this just yet and it was one of the schools owls that had been killed. The six of them left the common room to find their head of house.

"What's that?" Peter asked, noticing the letter still in her hand.

"Oh." Lily said quietly. "It...it's the letter the owl was supposed to be sending my parents." She said sadly.

Lily held it up so they could all see what had been written on it and burst into tears. James stopped walking and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her arm comfortingly and swearing to himself that he'd make whoever did this pay. The only thing keeping him from becoming deliriously furious was the girl crying in his arms. Lily sniffled and looked up at him sheepishly but James just smiled sadly at her and wiped her eyes.

"It's okay. We're not going to let them get away with this." He promised her.

* * *

Between Callie being attacked and the dead owl Lily became more determined than ever to protect her friends. James couldn't help admiring her fiery determination but he had to admit it scared the hell out of him. If they targeted her once they'd do it again, he was sure, and the thing that had been gnawing at him the most, which everyone knew but no one wanted to say, was that it must have been a Gryffindor girl who left the owl in Lilys bed. No one else could get into the Gryffindor tower or the girls dormitory. Things became more tense than ever as students became suspicious of the people they shared a bedroom with.

Lily walked into the common room, trailed by a small group of first and second year mugglborns who'd been studying in the library later than intended and ended up too scared to walk back to the common room alone. The children thanked her and Lily encouraged them to look for her or any other prefects any time they needed them before crossing the room to sit down beside James in the corner, a sad smile on her face.

"Whats wrong, Evans?" He asked.

Lily shrugged, twisting her hair around her fingers absentmindedly and letting out a long slow breath.

"When we were first years we all loved exploring Hogwarts. These kids shouldn't be afraid to walk around their own school on their own, it's not right."

"I know. I caught a couple of fifth years taunting a first year because his dad is a muggle. Can you believe it? Just a little kid."

Lily's frown deepened. Even at his worst James had never bullied little children. Things were getting out of hand and she knew it, but what could they do? She doubted that all the students who were behaving like this were death eaters, most of them were probably just bullies or kids who were following the crowd.

"Where is everyone?" She looked around the common room for the rest of their friends.

"Remus, Sirius, and Pete are upstairs. Dunno where Callie is."

Lily looked worried for a second.

"I'm sure she'll be back soon. And anyway, we can't start worrying every time we can't find someone."

"You're right. She's probably studying or something. Anyway, what do you want to do tomorrow?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

"Tomorrow? I thought we were going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" Now James frowned. Had he misheard her when she agreed to go with him?

"Well do you just want to stand around town, or did you want to _do_ something while we were there?" She giggled.

James thought for a second. He'd imagined a trip to Hogsmeade with Lily dozens of times but she'd never actually said yes so he'd never had to seriously think of what they should do. And it wasn't supposed to be a date anyway, so there was no need to stress, right?

Lily watched him. James's eyebrows were furrowed, he was biting his lip and staring ahead and trying to think of the shops he'd seen her spend the most time in. Last year he could figure out exactly where she and her friends were going, but now he had no idea what she'd want to do.

"What do you want to do?" He finally asked.

Lily suggested they visit the candy store and then get a drink and James wanted to check out the joke shop. They both needed new quills and there was a new book Lily wanted to pick up. While the two of them planned their trip to Hogsmeade Callie was three floors down searching for someone.

"Sev! Severus!" She called, running up behind Snape, who she'd found alone for the first time in days.

He turned to look at her but didn't say anything. They hadn't spoken since the end of last year and he couldn't imagine she had anything good to say, especially since she'd started hanging out with Potter and his friends. To his surprise she smiled at him when she caught her breath.

"Can we talk for a minute?" She asked, nodding toward an empty classroom.

Snape nodded and followed her in, his hand near his wand, just in case, though he didn't think she'd help the Marauders with a prank against him. He'd be lying if he said he didn't miss being friends with her, though not nearly as much as he missed Lily. Still, it had been nice to have friends who were actually there for him and he'd grown to see Callie sort of like a sister, so the loss did sting quite a bit.

Callie stopped and sat on a desk and Snape stood in front of her.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I just wanted to thank you." She started, looking down at her knees.

"For?" He arched an eyebrow.

"McGonagall told me you warned her after Jonathan Dryer left me in the woods. I know you probably would have gotten a whole world of shit if anyone found out so…I wanted to say thank you."

Snape nodded and leaned back beside her on the desk.

"You don't need to thank me. There's…a lot out there in the Forbidden Forest." He started, looking away from her and Callie suspected he was hinting at his suspicions about Remus. "I wasn't going to let him leave you. Not that it mattered with Black out there." He spat his name and Callie shook her head.

"That's not what matters. You still tried and you still could have ended up screwed because of it."

Callie hesitated for a second, biting her lip. Snape could tell there was something else she wanted to say. She opened her mouth to speak twice but said nothing. Whatever it was seemed to be upsetting her and after a second it dawned on him. With a sigh Snape rolled up his sleeve and held his arm in front of her.

"See? Nothing." He said.

"Yet." She sighed, seeming on the verge of tears.

"You come up often, you know. Some people want to try to recruit you because of your family. Some people agree with Dryer. They think…that you should be taught a _lesson_. If – If you'd at least pretend – keep your head down…"

"You mean lie? Stop defending my friends when people leave _dead_ _owls_ in their beds? Act like some ignorant brat obsessed with blood purity?" She snorted.

Snape closed his eyes for a second, shaking his head, he jumped up to sit beside her.

"I just think you should be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you or Lily, and some people suspect that I said something about Dryer. If they are going to do something to either of you they won't say anything in front of me so I won't be able to warn you until it's too late."

Callie sighed and put her hand on his.

"Thank you. We are being careful, believe me. Everyone is lately. You should be too."

The two of them were silent for a minute and like Snape earlier Callie knew what he wanted to ask.

"Lily and James are just friends, by the way." She said nonchalantly.

"So? Why should I care?" He shrugged, though his tone said the opposite. "Besides, the rumor going around is that you and Black are Gryffindor's new couple."

Callie burst out laughing, turning toward him with an incredulous look.

"Seriously? _Sirius_ and I? I mean, we're good friends but, oh Merlin, _no_."

"Well that's good, I was worried for a second that you'd completely lost what little common sense you had."

Callie giggled and Snape smiled. They were silent for a second when Callie hopped off the desk. It was starting to feel like last year, when they two of them could still be friends and they both knew they shouldn't get used to it.

The two of them glanced both ways before exiting the classroom, making sure no one would see them and before they parted ways Callie wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Stay safe." He said.

"You too. And…we do miss you, Sev." She sighed.

Callie turned away from him and walked quickly up to the Gryffindor common room. James and Lily were sitting in the corner laughing together and she couldn't find any of her other friends so she went straight up to the dormitory to study.


	9. Not a Date

**I still own nothing and I still love you all for reading!**

Callie and Lily were standing in front of the school together, waiting for Callies date while Lily insisted that what she and James were doing was "absolutely not a date!"

"Well," Callie smirked. "if it were a date would you have still said yes?"

Lily flushed and looked away and Callie smiled triumphantly.

"Let's not talk about that, alright? I'm trying to figure out what's going on there. "

She bit her lip and shushed her already silent friend as the boy in question approached them.

"Hey Evans." James smiled, running a hand through his hair and taking in her appearance. She was bundled up against the cold but she still managed to look lovely.

Lily smiled back at him and James extended his arm. Giggling, Lily took it and waved to her friend.

"See you around Callie." James said.

"Tell me all about your date later, okay?" Lily called over her shoulder.

"Will do. Have fun!" Callie watched as James lead Lily away, shaking her head and wondering how she could possibly claim she didn't feel _something_ for him.

Sirius and Peter walked over to her next, nudging each other and whispering as they approached her. Remus had made them promise to leave her alone on her date.

"No prying, no spying, no following as an animagus, _no_ trying to ruin her date and _no_ , I don't want to hear about it." He'd ordered over and over before they left.

"Hey guys. Where's Remus?"

"He didn't want to come today. Said he had to study." Sirius lied. In reality he knew his friend was most likely still in their dormitory sulking, as he had been since Callie told them about her date.

"Getting kinda late. Maybe your dates not showing up either." Peter hinted no so subtly.

"He's right there." She rolled her eyes and pushed past them to greet Hunter excitedly.

* * *

James found himself wandering around the bookstore with Lily, looking for a book she'd been going on about since last night. It was the second in a series and she seemed really excited about it. She'd been talking animatedly about the first book the entire walk to the village so James suggested they stop by to get the second book before doing anything else.

Really, he just liked the way her face lit up when she talked about it. Her eyes went wide and a huge smile spread across her face as James found the shelf with what she was looking for.

"Yes! I've been so excited to finally get this all year!" She exclaimed, hugging the book to her chest.

James smiled. She'd told him this three times but he didn't mind. As she flipped the book open James picked up a copy of the first book in the series and opened to the first page. He read some of the first chapter and decided that it was actually much more interesting than he was expecting. James flipped the book shut, grabbed the copy in Lily's hand and headed toward the front of the store.

"Hey! Where are you going with that?" She asked, chasing after him.

"To the counter. Where you pay?" He rolled his eyes, putting down the books.

"But that's my copy!" She grumbled.

"I know. I'm buying it for you." He shrugged, handing the cashier the money and turning to give her the book. "Consider it an early Christmas gift. Just let me borrow it when I finish the first one, okay?"

Surprised, Lily nodded and took the book from him.

"You- you didn't have to - thank you, James." She blushed and followed him out of the store, insisting he let her buy him a drink in exchange.

They stopped and bought as much candy as they could carry, making sure to get extra for Remus and talking about their favorites while Lily told James about what kind of muggle candies she enjoyed and promised she'd bring some back for him after the holiday. Then the two of them ended up in the back of the Three Broomsticks.

Lily brought them both a butterbeer and the two of them sat and talked until it was almost dark out. Lily had been on a few dates to Hogsmeade over the years but nothing had ever felt as natural and comfortable as her day with James. Callie had been right when she said he seemed more mature, though he was still clearly the same mischievous boy she'd always known.

Snow started falling as they walked back to the school and Lily couldn't help wishing that this had been an actual date, though she swore she'd never admit it. They were walking close enough that their fingers brushed together and James noticed how cold her hand was. Without looking or interrupting the conversation he took her hand in his and started rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb, making her stomach flutter with butterflies.

Lily smiled to herself, pretending not to notice and with her free hand she shoved her gloves in her pocket.

* * *

By the end of her date Callie couldn't figure out how she felt about Hunter. She was having fun with him. Things felt easy for the most part, he made her laugh and she didn't feel uncomfortable with him, but part of her felt like sometimes he only agreed with her so they'd have more in common, and every once in a while she'd just get this vibe that everything was becoming very insincere. She wanted to tell him that she was having fun and there was no need to force it but every time it happened he'd say something that made her laugh or think and she'd forget there was ever a problem.

There were a few students walking back to the castle at the same time as them but they didn't pay them any attention. It was starting to snow and Hunter noticed Callie shivering slightly as she wrapped her Gryffindor scarf tighter around her neck.

He took his silver and blue Ravenclaw hat off and placed it on her head, making her giggle as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against him for the rest of the walk back.

From the top of the stairs on his way to the Great Hall Remus noticed when they walked in together. Callie's cheeks were red from the cold and he noticed with a pang that she was wearing his Ravenclaw hat and his arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her close against his chest where she rested her hand. She looked adorable and she smiled up at him as he let her go and Remus turned and headed back up to his dormitory, having lost his appetite and not in the mood to watch what he was sure would be a very sweet goodbye kiss.

 _This is good._ He told himself. _She had a good time. She's happy. I should be happy for her too. I am happy. Very happy._

Still, he couldn't help feeling like he'd been punched in the chest as he collapsed on his bed.

 _This is what she deserves. A nice normal boyfriend. Not a monster. This is okay._

* * *

Callie and Hunter parted ways outside the great hall with and quick hug and an awkward peck on the lips. She went and sat down with James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter and filled up her plate.

"Where's Remus now?" She asked, noticing that he was absent more and more often lately with no full moon to blame just yet.

"He said he'd be down a few minutes ago." Sirius shrugged from beside her, glancing in toward the doors.

"So, how was your date?" Lily asked.

"Not bad." Callie shrugged, noticing that Lily was sitting closer to James than usual.

She wanted to ask Lily the same question, but didn't dare doing it just yet. Besides, judging by the way they'd been cozied up together in the Three Broomsticks she was pretty sure it had gone pretty well.

"Nice hat." James teased, and Callie realized that she was still wearing the Ravenclaw hat.

"Oh." She blushed. "Right. I forgot about that. Guess I'll give it to him after I eat." She shrugged.

"Not in a rush to see him again?" Sirius said, raising an eyebrow and wondering if maybe the date hadn't gone so well.

"I'm just hungry. We had a nice date, it was just kind of...I dunno." She shrugged, taking a bite of her dinner.

"Kind of what?" Peter pressed.

"Nothing, I guess. Something just seemed...a little off." She said thoughtfully. "It was probably nothing. Just first date awkwardness, you know?"

Her friends pestered her for more information but she just shrugged them off and finished eating. Callie was the first to get to her feet to leave and Hunter almost immediately caught up to her on her way out the door.

"Hey, it's been a while." She joked.

Hunter chuckled and bit his lip.

"I - er...I know our date just ended but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind going for a walk around the castle with me? Just to talk a little. If you're not already tired of me."

"Not at all, I'd love to." Though really she just wanted to go upstairs and see how Remus was doing, she smiled and followed Hunter down the hall.

* * *

Remus was waiting for Lily when she got back to the common room. The two of them had prefect duty that night, so rather than going to bed or studying, they had to roam the halls together for a few hours.

Lily didn't mind this at all, she enjoyed Remus's company and after the wonderful 'not-a-date' she'd had with James she didn't think she'd be able to sleep or study or sit still anyway.

Remus, on the other hand looked tired despite having spent the entire day in his dormitory.

He was quiet at first as the two of them wandered the halls, but he knew it was going to be a long night if they walked silently so he finally asked how her trip to Hogsmeade with James was, having already gotten every last detail from him before he left.

"It was...nice. He's been...or at least he's _seemed_ different this year. I like it, though. I had a lot of fun today." She bit her lip, trying to suppress a smile.

Although he was still upset about Callie he was happy for his best friend. Callie already told him she suspected Lily was starting to develop feelings for James. Everyone else we starting to see it too, but they thought Lily might have a hard time accepting her change of heart and all decided that it was best to let James figure it out on his own rather than potentially mess something up for either them.

"If you're tired I can handle this on my own." Lily offered after Remus didn't say anything for a while.

"I'm not tired." Remus shook his head. "Besides, I need something to distract me from...eh, well I guess nothings really distracting me today, but I'd rather be here than sitting in the common room doing nothing."

Lily nodded. She knew he was upset about Callie's date today, and she couldn't really blame him.

"You know, I never really thought about it but you've never really dated much, have you?" She asked.

"James and Sirius have tried to set me up a couple of times but I usually try to avoid it." He shrugged.

"Well I don't think it went that well." Lily said. "Callie's date, I mean. She said something felt off and she just didn't seem particularly...excited when it was over."

Remus sighed, fidgeting with his wand a little bit, trying to pretend he wasn't incredibly relieved to hear this.

"Seemed to be going well when I saw them together." He said sadly.

Lily turned and looked at him sympathetically.

"You saw them?"

He nodded.

"I'm happy for her, really. She deserves to be happy."

"She would be happier with you, you know."

Remus sighed again, still fidgeting with his wand rather than giving his full attention to the conversation.

"She wouldn't be happy with me. I'm a monster, what could I offer her?"

Lily's expression hardened and she grabbed him by the arm.

"First of all, you're far from a monster, Remus, and Callies made it perfectly clear that it doesn't matter to her."

"Well, it matters to me! I don't just want a couple dates, or a hook up, I want an actual relationship with her. I want it to last and-"

"So why not go for it?" Lily sounded exasperated as they continued walking.

"She wouldn't want me. Look at me." He gestured to the scars across his face which Lily knew were the subject of more than a few rude jokes and comments throughout the school. The year before he'd confessed to her that he thought some people looked at them more than they looked at him at first.

"She's not like that. Give her a chance."

"She doesn't feel that way about me."

Lily fought with herself over whether or not she should tell him that she was already almost certain that Callie did feel that way about him, but decided against it, not wanting to betray Callie's trust regardless.

"She might. You'll never know for sure if you don't ask."

"And what if she says yes?" He asked.

Lily laughed.

"Then you live happily ever after?"

"No, then _if_ we last until the end of next year we're out in the real world, where I'll never be able to hold a job when people figure out why I disappear once a month. I can't imagine how I'll ever be able to support myself alone, never mind with someone else. You know how everyone else looks at people like me. I'll never have a stable, normal life."

"You'll figure something out, Remus, and don't you think Callie has career plans after school too?"

"I don't want to drag her down with me." Remus insisted. "I won't. I love her too much to do that."

At this Lily stopped and looked at him, arching an eyebrow. Even Remus looked surprised by what he'd just said but the surprise was quickly replaced with sadness as he took a deep breath and continued down the hall.

"Don't tell anyone I said that." He said, trying to force a laugh.

"I won't-" Lily's eyes went wide as they turned a corner and saw a couple wrapped around each other just a few feet away.

The boy had dark hair and was tall enough that he had to lean down to kiss the girl who was backed up against a wall, giggling softly into his lips as one hand crept up her side while the other tangled in her hair.

One of her arms was wrapped around his back and the other was behind his head, pulling him closer. She moaned softly, then squeaked with surprised, giggling as he pulled open the door behind them and pulled her into an empty classroom.

Remus stared miserably at the door to the room Callie and Hunter had just disappeared into. If earlier felt like being punched in the chest this felt like the entire force of the largest branch on the whomping willow right to his lungs. His mind was racing with things he didn't want to think about and he didn't notice Lily talking to him until she pulled at his arm.

"Remus, I - I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

Lily didn't even bother giving him time to answer before shaking her head. She'd never seen him look more heartbroken.

"No, of course you're not okay. Do you want me to interrupt them?" She offered.

"What?" Remus blinked at her.

"We're prefects. We can go in and interrupt them. Say we heard a noise and didn't know who it was. Kill the mood so they both leave."

Lily started walking towards the door but Remus grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Lil, I...I don't want to see them again. Let's just go. Please."

He was desperate to get away from that door before he did something stupid, like run in and hex his hands off of her body, but he reminded himself over and over that the only thing that mattered was that Callie was happy, and she certainly seemed _happy_.

* * *

Callie let Hunter pull her into an empty classroom and press her up against a wall, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Hunter." She sighed. "I'm having a lot of fun, but-" he started to pull her shirt up and she pulled it back down. "We don't know each other well. I don't want to go too far right now, okay?"

Hunter nodded but continued kissing down to her chest, reaching to unbutton her pants. His other hand reached around her and into the back pocket of her jeans, pulling her against his hips.

"Are you even listening?" She asked, pushing him away.

"I wasn't lying when I said I'd had my eye you for a while." He said before leaving a small purple hickey on her neck.

"I never said you were-"

"But I was very upset when you got my cousin arrested."

"What?"

Callie put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back one last time, trying to understand what he was saying. Hunter leaned back, still very close, and looked her in the eye.

"Jonathan. I told him we should try to get you to join us, but he wouldn't listen. I'm sorry for what he did, I really am. If I'd known I would have stopped him. You're a smart girl from a good family. I told him it wouldn't be hard to get you to join us too. I don't know what he has against you." He shrugged, leaning in to kiss her again.

"What do you mean join you?" Callie asked, tilting her head to the side to get away from his lips.

Hunter sighed, smiling proudly at her as he stepped back to roll up his sleeve and show her the dark mark tattooed on his skin. She tried to stay calm but she noticed with a jolt of fear that the hand that had been in her back pocket groping her had found her wand and was holding it tightly.

"There aren't many of us in the school yet who have the mark, but we're working on it. And with your name - it might take them a while to accept you, but-"

"This wasn't a date - this was recruitment!"

"Why can't it be both? I had a good time. I thought you did too."

"I'm leaving." She said firmly, turning toward the door.

"Callie, wait!" Hunter reached out to her and she shoved him away as hard as she could, knocking him loudly into a desk.

"Don't touch me! I'm _leaving_!" She turned to the door one more time, Hunter screaming behind her.

"I thought you were better than this!"

He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her toward him. Something in him had shifted, his eyes went dark and he looked furious and terrifying without her wand.

"And I thought the same about you! I would _never_ join you-know-who! Stay away from me!"

She reached for the door but another shout stopped her in her tracks.

"Crucio!"

Screaming, Callie collapsed to the floor, the back of her head hit a desk and she felt as if she had pure lighting running through her bones. Her entire body felt like was on fire and it was agonizing. She tried to bite her lip, stop herself from giving him the satisfaction of crying out and in seconds she tasted blood. She couldn't tell if she was still screaming or not until the door slammed open and Lily and Remus ran in.

The pain finally stopped as Lily blocked his spell and ran to her friend's side and Remus began furiously hexing and cursing him, not giving a damn about what he was and was not allowed to do inside of Hogwarts.

Lily checked on Callie quickly, going to stand beside Remus, blocking curses and sending more than a few of her own as well. Hunter dropped Callie's wand, trying to block curses from two people while sending his own but it was no use.

"Stay. Away. From. My. Friend!" Lily yelled, sending hex after hex at him. She remembered one Severus had showed her last year, which she'd initially scolded him for and never thought she'd have any reason to use before today, but she couldn't help feeling satisfied as a large cut appeared on his shoulder.

"Don't speak to me like that, filthy mudblood!" He sent a pile of books flying toward her, but she managed to deflect most of them, sending papers flying across the room.

Remus knocked him back against the wall, disorienting him enough that he could jump forward, grab him by the shirt and punch him hard in the face, feeling that it was much more satisfying than cursing him from across the room. Hunter threw him off with another spell that knocked him to the ground beside Callie and turned his wand to a window, which he broke and jumped out of, thankful they were on the ground floor of the school. He knew there was no sense in going back and he silently cursed at himself. He'd revealed his mark and used an illegal curse, if he went back to Hogwarts he'd be sentenced to Azkaban like his cousin, so he ran into the woods to come up with a new plan.

Remus ran to the window, still throwing curses at his back.

"Coward!" He yelled as Hunter disappeared into the forbidden forest.

"Remus!" He jerked around to where Lily was kneeling beside Callie and ran over to them, dropping to his knees beside her.

"Callie! Are you okay?" He asked, panicky and terrified for her.

Callie reached up toward him but didn't answer. She tried her hardest but she couldn't speak at all. Her throat hurt from screaming and everything was starting to get blurrier and blurrier. She fought to keep her eyes open, still trying and failing to speak,

"Callixta Evelyn Moore, look at me!" Lily demanded, and Callie's eyes snapped open as she weakly turned her bleeding head toward her friend. "Stay awake, okay? We're going to take care of you." She finished more gently, squeezing her hand.

Remus picked her up as gently as possible and carried her quickly to the hospital wing while Lily ran ahead so Madam Pomfrey would be ready when they got there.

Callie reached toward Remus again, who was quietly muttering reassuring things to her when she tried to touch his face, her arm screaming with pain as it fell against her chest. She tried to speak again but she still couldn't and everything kept getting more and more blurry. Remus pulled her closer against his chest and the last thing she heard was his heart beat as she lost consciousness from yet another head injury.

* * *

James was sitting with Peter and Sirius in the common room, playing exploding snap while they waited for Remus and Lily.

"They're late." Peter said.

"Must've found some last minute trouble makers." Sirius said, not particularly worried.

When the two of them entered the common room a few minutes later, both pale and wearing identical looks of worry their friends knew something was wrong.

"Lily, Moony - did something happen?" James asked, jumping up and approaching them.

They both nodded silently. For one tense minute no one did or said anything until Lily couldn't contain herself anymore.

"He attacked Callie!" She exclaimed furiously, her face as red as her hair.

"What? Who attacked Callie? Why?" Sirius asked, looking between the two of them.

"We don't know the full story. We won't until Callie wakes up but Hunter Kelley attacked her." Remus said, biting the inside of his cheek.

He wasn't usually an angry person but right now he felt so angry he almost seemed calm, except for the fact that his hands were balled into tight shaking fists, one of which his friends noticed was bruised.

"Wakes up?" James repeated. "What did he do?"

"He used the cruciatus on her!" Lily shrieked throwing a pillow across the room. "And I don't care why. He tortured her!"

"Where is he now?" Peter asked anxiously.

"He escaped out a window." Remus said, explaining through clenched teeth exactly what had happened for the third time tonight.

Lily picked up another pillow and screamed into it.

"I could kill him! He tortured her! The look on her face – if Remus and I hadn't heard her screaming -and he got away!" She threw her arms up, pacing angrily when James reached out to her.

She collapsed into his arms, calming down enough that she didn't feel like she'd rip her own hair out if she stopped moving, and buried her head in his shoulder.

"Moony, are you-" Sirius started, but Remus let out a low growl and turned, slamming his fist against the wall and leaving a shallow hole.

"He escaped into the forbidden forest." He said, teeth still clenched shut. "They're searching for him. To take him to Azkaban for using that curse on her."

"Then I'm sure they'll find him, mate-"

"I don't _want_ them too." Remus spat. "I want him to stay there. I want him to be there during the next full moon. I want-"

"Remus." James had let go of Lily and put his hand on his friend's shoulder, looking him pointedly in the eye. "You know you don't mean that." He said quietly.

Remus's face broke from furious to miserable as he turned and leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor.

"I never want to see someone in that kind of pain again. Especially not her. He needs to pay."

"And he will." Sirius promised, sitting down beside him. "He won't get far."

Remus leaned his head back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut. James sat down beside him along with Lily, who was leaning against his chest, breathing heavily.

"She's a tough girl. She'll be okay. She's too stubborn not to be." Lily reassured him.


	10. See You Soon

**I still don't own anything but my OCs and this story. Thank you all so much for reading/ favoriting and your reviews seriously make my day!**

Callie sat in the hospital wing reading her library book on enchanting magical objects, hoping to finish up a few gifts before Christmas, which was less than a week away now. Unfortunately, she couldn't focus on a word and had been reading and rereading the same page for nearly half an hour. McGonagall had told her they hadn't been able to find Hunter, which she assumed was making the Ministry look even more foolish than before. Even Callie had to admit that it was pretty sad that they couldn't find two teenagers.

She wondered where he was but doubted that it really mattered. She wasn't sure what he would have done if Remus and Lily hadn't found them. Lily had always been strong and very protective of her friends but Remus was usually so calm and last night he'd looked absolutely murderous. It was surprising and oddly attractive, albeit in a way that made her feel a little twisted, but she pushed that thought aside for the time being.

She tried to focus on the moment and read her book but her mind kept drifting to Hunter. As much as she didn't think she wanted to know she couldn't stop wondering what could have happened. Hunter was right, she did come from a large pure blood family but they'd never quite followed into all the blood purity nonsense. Some of them were, perhaps, a little out of touch but her brother married a muggle born and no one had a problem with it. She couldn't imagine anyone in her family joining you-know-who, especially considering how loudly her grandparents were in their opinions against him.

Callie winced, angry at herself for getting into a position where she could be attacked twice after everything her grandparents had said and done. She wouldn't let it happen again. From now on she'd keep her guard up and her wand at her side. No more dates with strangers and no more letting people sneak up behind her.

* * *

Lily was busy taking extra detailed notes for Callie in History of Magic. Behind her James was doodling absentmindedly, mostly snitches and various other things with the initials J.P. and L.E. On one side of him Sirius was rolling his eyes and on the other Peter was falling asleep and Remus was anxiously tapping his fingers on his desk and watching the clock, waiting for the end of this last class so that he could find out if Callie was alright. He'd been to the hospital wing first thing in the morning but she was asleep, then again before lunch but McGonagall and Dumbledore were standing by her bed and Madam Pomfrey shooed him out before he could even get a glimpse of how she was doing. He hadn't been able to get the image of how she looked last night out of his head all day and it was driving him insane.

When class ended Remus jumped up and headed for the door, practically sprinting to the hospital wing with his friends trailing behind him.

Callie was awake, sitting in her bed flipping through a book when they walked in. She looked up, forcing a smile as her friends approached her. Lily sat down beside her on the bed and the rest of her friends crowded around her.

"How are you feeling?" Lily asked.

"Never better." Callie sighed. "But it's only my second head injury of the year." she chuckled, biting her lip and looking down at her hands. "You were all right. I shouldn't have gone out with him."

"What happened?" Sirius asked.

Callie told them everything, not meeting their eyes, and waited for the inevitable "I-told-you-so".

"I can't believe I was so stupid." She sighed sadly.

"Stupid?" Lily repeated.

"You all spent the past few days telling me how _stupid_ I was being for going out with him. I should have listened."

A few tears slipped down her cheek and everyone glanced around guiltily. They'd been hoping her date would be a flop for Remus's sake of course but they never would have wanted anything like _this_. They'd hoped he'd be rude or boring, not violent and insane.

"Callie, no. We…no one could have known he would be like that." James said.

"Go figure, one guy that's in to me and he's also into the dark arts." She shook her head.

Everyone glanced at Remus and Peter nudged him in the side. Callie looked over just in time to see the look he and Peter were exchanging and arched an eyebrow at them. Remus glanced away quickly, his face turning a light shade of pink.

"Thank you, by the way. I don't know what would have happened if you two hadn't found me."

Lily reached over and hugged her friend but even after spending the entire day anxious to see her Remus wasn't sure what to do or say after what he'd told Lily last night and Callie and Lily certainly noticed that he hadn't said a word since they got there.

"We should let you get some rest." Lily said, standing up abruptly, grabbing James and Sirius by the arm and pushing them toward the door. "I took extra notes for you though. Remus, maybe you could help her go over them?" She said, shoving the papers in his direction and grabbing Peter. The boys all caught on quickly and waved goodbye. Sirius winked at Remus, who was glaring at all of them as they left.

"See you soon!" She called.

"Feel better!" James added.

Remus watched them all leave before turning to Callie.

"So... these notes..." He turned back to her, pretending to read through Lily's notes, very aware that Callie was watching him intently.

"Is something wrong?"

Remus finally looked up at her but said nothing. Was there any sense in lying to her? He had to anyway, he couldn't tell her that he was trying so hard not to get _too_ close to her and it was getting harder every day.

"I just…last night was…"

"Madam Pomfrey said you stopped by twice this morning but you've hardly spoken to me since you got here." She pointed out, trying not to sound hurt.

Before he fully realized what he was doing he sat down on her bed and dropped Lilys notes, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He knew he'd regret this but he was sick of trying to keep his distance from her. He told himself over and over that he was bad for her, he was dangerous and could never give her what she deserved and that she wouldn't want him to even if he could but he always thought at least he could keep her safe and now he hadn't even been able to do that until it was too late. Now she needed him to be there for her like she was for him a few weeks ago so that's what he would do.

Callie wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest, crying quietly into his shirt. He ran his hand up and down her back comfortingly, like she had for him the last time they were this close.

"It's okay." He whispered.

"I've never felt so stupid." She sobbed.

"You're not stupid."

"I _feel_ stupid."

"But you aren't."

He held her tighter, letting her cry as long as she needed.

* * *

Remus, Sirius, James, Peter, and Lily all sat around the common room, waiting for Callie to come back from the hospital wing. There wasn't much studying to do with the Christmas holiday so close so instead they played exploding snap and the group argued with Remus.

Callie walked in just in time to hear him say "Don't worry about it!"

"Don't worry about what?" She asked, dropping into the only open seat, which was beside Sirius.

Remus rolled his eyes, letting his head drop back against the seat he was sitting in and groaning in irritation with his friends.

"Remus is spending the holiday here and he won't let any of us stay with him." Sirius complained.

Remus huffed loudly and leaned forward, speaking quietly so no one would overhear.

"The full moon this month is on the 23rd so my parents and I thought it would be easier if I just stayed here."

"So we'll stay with you!" James insisted.

"No. You don't have to give up your holiday for me, I'll be fine on my own, really." Remus assured them.

Callie frowned. Aside from how depressing the thought of spending Christmas alone at school was she also knew that his friends going with him every full moon was the only thing that stopped Remus from getting hurt.

She found McGonagall first thing the next morning.

"Professor, is it too late to sign up to stay at the school for the holiday?"

McGonagall looked surprised but nodded.

"No, it's not too late. Would you like me to put you on the list?"

"Yes! Thank you!" Callie grinned, running off to send a letter to her parents.

She might not be able to go with Remus the night of the full moon but she could at least be there when he came back

* * *

During his free period James wandered around in search of something interesting to do when a voice caught his attention.

"Stupid little mudblood!" Sneered a fifth year Slytherin.

James rounded the corner to find that this was directed at a first year Gryffindor boy, who was watching helplessly as the Slytherin pointed his wand at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" James asked, pulling out his own wand.

The Slytherin spun around and smirked at him.

"My little friend and I were just having some fun. Isn't that right?"

The boy said nothing, just silently glanced, teary eyed, between the two of them. James frowned sympathetically and held his hand out to the boy.

"Come here." He nodded.

The boy stepped forward but the Slytherin pushed him backwards into the wall.

"We weren't done yet. And we don't need your help, so you can go." He spat.

"Are you really so pathetic you have to pick on little kids?"

The Slytherin pointed his wand at James, who didn't even flinch. He knew he could take him, the problem was getting the first year out of the way first.

"That's something, coming from a blood traitor like you, Potter. Still pining after that little redheaded _mudblood_?"

This struck a nerve and he knew it. James stepped closer, aiming his wand at the boys throat and speaking in a dangerously low voice.

" _Don't_ _call her that."_

"What? _Mudblood_? Thats what she is. Just like this one. A mudblood. Not that I expected anything more from someone who hangs out with traitors like Black and half bloods like Lupin."

James's empty hand balled into a fist and he debated whether or not it would be more satisfying to punch him. Once again he nodded to the younger boy, who stepped tentatively forward before rushing to stand behind him.

For a long tense minute the two of them watched each other then, realizing that he couldn't beat his opponent, the Slytherin put his wand down, shaking his head.

James went to do the same but as the boy turned away he muttered one final word.

"Pathetic."

James whipped his wand at him before grabbing the younger boy by the shoulder and leaving the Slytherin cursing behind them.

"What did you do?" The boy asked.

"Turned his socks into butter." James shrugged.

The younger boy laughed and continued following James down the hall, looking nervous.

"I'm James by the way."

"I know." The boy nodded. "Everyone knows you."

James smiled down at him.

"What's your name?"

"Will."

"Nice to meet you. What class were you going to?"

Will's eyes went wide with horror at realizing how late he was.

"Transfiguration."

"Come on, I know a shortcut."

James led him down the halls to Professor McGonagall's classroom and held the door open for him.

"You are very late, young man."

"My fault professor. Sorry." James said as Will took his seat.

"Well then, Mr. Potter, I'll see you tonight for detention."

James nodded and left the classroom.

Later that the evening Lily was walking down the hall, pretending not to notice James behind her, hesitating to approach her for some reason.

He opened his mouth twice but nothing came out, which really made no sense to him considering how many times he'd impulsively asked her out and been turned down. This should have been easy since he wasn't even trying to ask her out this time.

"Hey, Evans!" He called.

Lily turned around and smiled at him and he hesitated again.

"What's up, Potter?"

James took a deep breath.

"What're you doing for New years Eve?" He asked quickly. "Because I was wondering if - if you don't have any other plans - if you'd like to come over to my house. My parents are having a party and they said they could pick you up. If you want to. It'll mostly be my parents friends but Sirius will be there too." He reached up to his hair again, waiting for her answer.

Lily pretended to be thinking it over. She already knew what she'd say, but she at least wanted to act like she wasn't sure.

"Alright." She said nonchalantly.

A smile spread across James's face and Lily tried not to grin back.

"Great! I'll owl you with the details over vacation!"

"Sounds good." Lily nodded.

The two of them continued walking down the hall together, talking about their holiday plans, and eventually ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter. You are excused from detention tonight."

"I am?" James raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Mr. Freeman told me why he was late for class. Five points to Gryffindor, by the way." She nodded as she walked away.

"What was that about?" Lily asked.

"Nothing really, I was just helping out a first year and he ended up late to class." James shrugged.

The two of them parted ways and Lily continued on her way to the library to return a few books, smiling to herself. The library was mostly empty since no one had anything to study for but she saw someone familiar sitting with his back to her across the library.

She walked quietly over to where Remus was sitting, reading a book about breaking curses, and sat down beside him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Just looking for something to read over the holiday."

Remus smiled at her but Lily knew he was pretty sad about spending Christmas alone at the school. Callie still hadn't told him she'd be staying with him and wasn't planning on saying anything until it was too late for him to make her leave, but even knowing this Lily hated seeing her friend unhappy.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" She asked, reaching out and putting her hand on his.

"Of course." He nodded, trying too hard to look reassuring.

The last thing he wanted was anyone feeling sorry for him so the next day he put on his most convincing smile and said goodbye to James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter.

"Where's Callie?" He asked, looking around for her in the crowd of students excited for the holidays.

"Haven't seen her." Sirius answered.

"Must have already left for the train." Lily lied.

"Without saying goodbye?" James asked incredulously. That didn't sound like her at all.

Lily stayed silent, pretending not to know that she was actually upstairs in their dormitory waiting for everyone to leave.

Remus shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking more than a little hurt thinking that Callie would leave for the holidays without saying goodbye to him. Maybe he'd overestimated their friendship? He could feel the Christmas gift he'd gotten her in his jacket pocket. He was planning on giving it to her before she got on the train but now he wasn't sure if she'd even want it.

Lily gave him a tight hug, promising to write and Remus watched them all leave.

"Callie really didn't even say goodbye? She knows how depressed he is about staying behind." James said when they were all on the train, looking for a glimpse of her so he could tell her how angry he was with her.

"She's not leaving." Lily finally told them now that it was too late for anyone to ruin the surprise.

"She's not? She never said anything." Sirius said.

"She didn't want Remus to be alone but she knew he would make her leave if he found out."

The boys all nodded in understanding and Lily waved them off, turning to find a compartment when James grabbed her arm.

"Why don't you sit with us?" He asked.

Lily started to object, but normally she sat with Callie on the train. She had other friends she could sit with but she couldn't help following James into an empty compartment.

The train ride was fun, and much more relaxed now that they all knew Remus wouldn't be alone. When they got back to the station Lily gave each of them a quick hug goodbye and a Christmas gift.

James was the last one she said goodbye to. When she went to hug him he picked her up off the ground and held her tightly, making her giggle in his ear. He let go of her reluctantly.

"So, I'll see you on New Year's Eve?"

Lily nodded and James turned toward his waiting parents.

"Wait!" Lily grabbed his arm and pulled him back toward her. "You forgot your Christmas gift." She handed him a small wrapped package and said goodbye before running off toward her own parents and sister.

James opened the gift she'd given him almost as soon as she was gone. It was a framed photo with a note;

 _"Dear James,_

 _Muggle pictures don't move but I hope you like it anyway. You said you wanted a copy and I had a lot of fun that day._

 _Merry Christmas, love Lily."_

It was the picture of them dancing at her parent's anniversary party. They had their arms around each other and Lily's head was tilted back a little and she was laughing at something. James was looking down at her, smiling with his arms wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

James couldn't wipe the smile off his face as Sirius leaned over his shoulder to see what it was.

"Look! She even wrote 'love Lily'! What do you think that means?"

Sirius groaned and followed Mr. and Mrs. Potter away from the train station, James trailing behind him, analyzing every detail of Lily's gift and letter.

* * *

After saying goodbye to most of his friends Remus went back up to the Gryffindor common room and sat down by a window. He tapped his foot anxiously on the floor, biting his fingernails, an old habit he hadn't done in years, intently watching the snow fall and trying not to think about Callie.

He wasn't as upset about being alone as he was that Callie hadn't even said anything before she left. Had he done something wrong that made her not want to say goodbye to him? Or maybe she just couldn't find him? Then again, he hadn't been hard to find. Maybe she just didn't care.

Remus sighed sadly, leaning his head on his arm. Maybe he was keeping more distance between them than he thought.

He felt weight on the seat beside him but he was too busy feeling sorry for himself to tell whoever it was to go away just yet.

Until that person inched closer and rested their chin on his shoulder.

"Anything interesting out there?"

Remus jerked his head around to see Callie smiling up at him, her grin only widening at the shocked look on his face.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

"Sitting down." She said matter-of-factly.

"I thought you were on the train!"

"You really thought I'd leave without saying goodbye to you?" She crossed her arms.

"I guess I kind of did... " He said, trying to sound like he hadn't been upset about it.

Callie's mouth fell open, faking offense and despite how much he'd argued that he didn't want anyone to stay with him Remus couldn't help the small smile that was spreading across his face.

"Why are you still here?"

"I couldn't leave you alone." She said more seriously. "And I knew if I said anything before you'd try to make me leave with everyone else."

She watched his reactions, hoping he wouldn't be angry with her.

"But - what about your family?"

Callie shrugged.

"I'll miss my brother and sister but my mom will just be drinking the whole time, my dad will be busy with work, my grandparents are great but they just want to talk about who my sister and I should marry."

"But-"

Callie put her hand over his mouth.

"Remus, honestly. I stayed because I'd rather be here with _you_."

Remus didn't know what to say. He thought he should feel bad but he couldn't stop smiling. Callie spent the day with him and walked him down to the hospital wing again just like she had the month before.

"I'll see you tomorrow? _Definitely_ tomorrow this time, I promise." She joked, when they reached the doors of the hospital wing.

They were both reluctant to say goodbye, Remus once again wishing that he could just go back up to the common room and stay with her all night.

He watched her walk away with a smile on his face. Tonight wouldn't be pleasant alone but tomorrow was Christmas Eve and Callie would be waiting for him when the night was over and that at least made it more bearable.


	11. Werewolf Cuddles

**This wasn't originally a 100% Remus/Callie chapter but it ended up being easier to split, to the next one will be 100% James/Lily and should be up sometime today. I'd do it now but its 4:30 AM and I'm exhausted. As always I own nothing and thanks for reading!**

* * *

Callie hardly got any sleep. She knew Remus was probably used to this by now, but she still couldn't help worrying. She'd read once that werewolves who didn't have anything to distract them often attacked themselves out of frustration and she couldn't stop thinking about it and hoping that he was alright. How badly could he injure himself?

After maybe four hours of sleep she woke up early in the morning to see the full moon still in the sky outside her window. Sighing she got out of bed and decided to take a long hot shower, trying to kill time until the sun came back up.

When she was done she pulled on a pair of jeans and a dark red sweater and sat in the common room, watching the sky. Finally, when the sky started to turn light purple and orange and she was too anxious to sit still anymore she grabbed her book bag and climbed out of the portrait hole.

The doors to the hospital wing were locked, so Callie sat down on the floor beside them and waited. After what felt like ages, but was really only a few minutes, Madam Pomfrey returned, escorting Remus who looked like he'd just lost a fight with half a professional quidditch team.

Despite feeling like hell Remus felt a flutter in his chest when he realized that Callie was awake at the crack of dawn waiting for him. Her smile faltered slightly when she saw how bad he looked but Remus just grinned at her.

"Ms. Moore, what are you doing?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Waiting for him. It's Christmas Eve." She reasoned.

Madam Pomfrey didn't look pleased but she nodded and let Callie follow them into the hospital wing, gesturing for her to sit down while she examined his injuries.

Remus insisted that he felt much better than he looked, which was a lie, but after tending to his injuries Madam Pomfrey said that he could go back to his dormitory.

"You didn't have to wait for me, you know." He said once they were in the halls.

"I couldn't sleep." She said. "I was worried about you."

"You don't have to worry about me either." Remus assured her, though he had to admit that it felt good to know she cared enough to worry about him.

Callie looked over and took in her now very bandaged and tired looking friend limping down the hall beside her.

"Couldn't help it."

On their way up to the dorm the two of them discovered that, thanks to his injuries, Remus was having trouble with stairs. Callie put her arm around him to help him up the stairs and into the Gryffindor common room.

"Are you sure you shouldn't still be in the hospital wing?" Callie wondered.

"I probably should be." He admitted with a nod.

Callie glared at him but Remus just gave her an innocent smile that she couldn't help thinking was adorable as she helped him up the stairs to his dorm.

"Are you really alright?" She frowned.

Remus nodded reassuringly.

"I'm fine. Really, this is totally average."

Callie looked him over briefly.

"I'll let you get some rest then." She said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Remus said before he could stop himself.

"Yeah?"

"Don't go yet."

As much as she wanted to stay, she was about to object so that he could sleep but when she saw the expression on his face she sat down beside him on his bed.

"It's a little early but do you want your Christmas gift?" She asked, leaning back against his headboard and pulling a square package wrapped in red and green paper out of her bag. She handed it to him before he could answer.

Remus held it and glanced over at her.

"You really didn't have to - I mean just staying with me for the holiday is more than enough."

"Well I'm not taking it back so you better open it." She insisted, nudging him excitedly.

Remus sighed and tore open the gift. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he stared at a small blank canvas about the size of a textbook with a red and gold frame.

"Now tap it right there with your wand." She said, pointing to a spot on the bottom left corner of the frame with his initials in it.

Remus did as she said and colors began swirling across the canvas showing him his own happy memories.

He saw the day his parents took him to get his wand, the moment he found out that his friends became animagi so he wouldn't have to be alone, and the day in the hall when Callie told him she cared about him no matter what he was, all painted out and moving like a movie.

"Callie - how -?"

Remus was at a loss for words, he could hardly believe what he was looking at.

"Well, at first I was just going to paint you something, but I wasn't sure what. And I read this book about enchanting objects, and then when I was in the hospital wing I remembered all the stuff you were saying after the last full moon and I decided that I wanted to give you something to remind you that you always have people who care about you no matter what. Whenever you tap that spot with your wand it'll show you memories with the people that love you." She said, blushing slightly as she finished, suddenly worried that it was a stupid idea.

Remus couldn't even find the words to tell her how much he loved it. For a while he just stared down at the gift, Callie waiting anxiously for him to speak, then he finally looked up at her.

"Do you like it?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Callie...this is incredible! I can't believe you made this. How _did_ you make it?"

Callie leaned back against his headboard again, leaning toward Remus, and explained the spells she had used.

"You're amazing." He muttered tiredly when she was done. "I...have a gift for...you...too..." He tried to point to it but he was so tired he fell asleep before he could even finish the sentence.

Callie giggled quietly as Remus drifted off beside her, his head rolling to the side so it was resting on her arm. Now that he was asleep she looked more closely at the cuts and bruises from last night. Though he was bandaged now she'd noticed a couple bite marks on his arms. He had a thin cut running parallel to the scars that were already on his face and his sandy colored hair was messy enough to compete with James.

She'd never asked how long ago he was bitten but she knew it was before they started school. She thought back to the little boy he'd been first year and tried to imagine him going through this then and felt terrible. It must have been terrifying to go through all this when he was just a kid.

Callie considered trying to slip away so she wouldn't disturb him but didn't want to risk waking him and, if she was being honest, didn't want to leave just yet. She shifted to pull the blankets up over him and let him continue sleeping on her.

It was a few hours later when Remus woke up to find Callie asleep in his bed beside him. She was turned toward him and at some point he had put his arm around her waist under her sweater. He tensed instantly, his hand curling into a fist, he was about to pull back and wake her up so he could ask her to leave but there was really nothing he wanted less right now.

For the millionth time Remus reminded himself that there could never be anything between them.

Except to him there already was something between them, even if he believed that it was entirely one sided. He knew too well that he was doing a horrible job of keeping his feelings in check but when he was around her everything that happened felt so natural he had to remind himself to stop.

 _This is going to end up hurting sooner or later_. He told himself. _But right now...it's too perfect_. And besides, how much did it really matter as long as he was the only one getting hurt? He knew what to expect, so it might not be so bad. He couldn't imagine anyone ever feeling about him the way he felt about Callie, especially not _Callie_.

But then again, here she was, staying at school over Christmas for _him_ , waiting up worrying about _him_ , falling asleep beside _him_...he opened his hand and gently pulled her closer, brushing his fingers across her soft skin. For a second Callie opened her eyes and wrapped her arm around him, smiling softly and snuggling closer as she fell back asleep.

A sad smile crossed his face as he drifted back to sleep with her in his arms.

* * *

Remus felt Callie wake up before he opened his eyes. He silently cursed himself for not waking her up earlier and asking her to leave. What would she think now? She could swear all day that she didn't mind being friends with a werewolf but he was absolutely certain that no girl in her right mind would ever want to spend the morning after a full moon _cuddling_ with a werewolf. How could he be so stupid? She obviously hadn't intended to fall asleep in his bed, and now he'd just had to go and make things awkward.

He felt Callie gently nudge him and mumble his name, still sounding half asleep and _bloody adorable good damn it_ and reluctantly opened his eyes. Callie was propped up on her elbows, looking over at him. Remus quickly pulled away the arm that was still around her and smiled nervously.

"Wanna go get lunch?" She asked.

For a second he just stared at her. He hadn't known what to expect, but he'd definitely been waiting for more of a negative reaction.

"Yeah. Yeah, just…give me a second to get changed."

Callie got up and went to wait for him downstairs and Remus jumped out of bed and quickly pulled on clean clothes. Had she just felt too awkward to say something? She didn't seem uncomfortable when she woke him up. He was starting to feel like James, overanalyzing everything that happened between them. He'd have to tell Sirius to slap him if he started running his hand through his hair every time she walked in the room.

Callie waited in the common room for Remus to come down hoping she hadn't made things awkward between them. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but she was just so tired. And it was Remus who put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. She was certain she'd seen him smiling as he fell back asleep.

She lied back on the couch, fidgeting with a pillow. She was losing her mind trying to figure this boy out. He was so hot and cold! Sometimes she was certain he returned her feelings for him, but then other times he'd pull back and be almost distant with her. She wondered if maybe she was pushing him but she thought she'd been trying her hardest not to make her feelings too obvious until she knew how he felt. He was just so hard to figure out. She could live with it if all he ever wanted to be was friends, but wondering would be the death of her.

When Remus came down a minute later he was holding something by his side where she couldn't see it.

"Ready to go?" She asked.

"Not yet."

Remus sat down on the couch beside her and handed her something wrapped in blue paper.

"I know Christmas isn't until tomorrow, but since you already gave me my gift I thought I'd give you yours. Its not nearly as great as what you gave me but, er…I tried."

He bit his thumb nail as he watched her open it. After what she gave him he felt like almost nothing could possibly measure up but he felt relieved when her face lit up and she beamed at him as she unwrapped a thick sky blue leather journal.

"Is it alright? I remembered you saying you really liked it earlier in the year, and then you said you ran out of pages in the one you already had so I thought…" He trailed off, tapping the cover of the journal with his index finger.

She'd been practically gushing over it at Hogsmeade last fall but she hadn't had the money to buy it at the time. He'd actually saved up and bought it for her over a month ago but once he actually had it he felt too awkward just giving it to her for no reason. Ever since she ran out of space in her old journal she'd been drawing and writing little thoughts and notes down on random bits of parchment, which she constantly lost and as much as Remus loved finding them lost around the school he thought she'd appreciate something a little more organized.

"Remus, its perfect! How did you even remember that?" She threw her arms around him before he could answer and he shrugged into the hug.

"Come on." He said evasively. "Let's go get lunch before it's too late."


	12. Happy New Year!

**100% Jily chapter! I feel like along with the usual reminder that I don't own anything I should also mention that I don't encourage underage drinking. Thank you again for reading/following/reviewing!**

* * *

Lily sat in her living room, reading the book James had given her while Petunia went on about something Vernon had done that she couldn't bring herself to care about. Lily's mind kept drifting to James, hoping he'd liked his Christmas gift. She hadn't stopped thinking about him since she left the train station and while she'd come to terms with the fact that she certainly felt something for him it was still a strange feeling.

Despite seeming more mature he was still his usual flirty self with her, but with one key difference - he hadn't asked her out once this year.

Part of her wondered if maybe now that they were friends he realized he didn't feel that way about her anymore, though their friends all insisted that he did. Maybe after a while it became such a habit to flirt with her the way he did that he just didn't know how to stop? But every time that thought crossed her mind she'd remember how he held her hand on the way back from Hogsmeade or the way he looked at her when they almost kissed by the great hall and hope that there was some other reason that he would stop asking her out at every turn just as soon as she realized she finally wanted to say yes.

Back at his own house James was still looking at Lily's Christmas gift. It was snowing outside but he had spent so much time staring at the photo he could practically feel the warm summer air and her hands on his shoulders.

He already couldn't wait to see her on New Year's Eve. Sirius kept asking him if he was going to kiss her at midnight. It had been all he could think about since he decided to ask her to come to the party (if he was being honest his mind had been stuck on it for years now, but he wouldn't dwell on that).

The thought sort of terrified him. If she rejected him could they still be friends like they were or would it ruin everything? She'd been turning him down for years and it always stung, though he pretended it didn't, but this time would be different and while there was no doubt in his mind that Lily Evans would always be worth anything to him the possibility of losing what they finally had was still something he wanted to avoid.

James put the picture beside his bed and left his room to find Sirius.

He found him in the kitchen with his mother. The Potters had taken Sirius in at the start of last summer, though if it had been up to his mom they'd have adopted him after first year.

James dragged him into his bedroom and handed him the picture.

"Honestly Prongs, you've already shown me this a million times and it's hardly been an hour." Sirius groaned.

"I know, but...do you think she...I mean, does this mean anything?"

"You're asking he wrong person, mate."

James sighed, looking down at the picture again.

"I know. It's just...if I mess things up now it's all over. We're _friends_ , and I love it, but if I try anything and she turns me down this time I don't think we can go back."

Sirius thought for a moment. James was right and Sirius knew all too well just how hung up he had been on Lily for years now.

"Well, her feelings toward you certainly seem to have changed. It might be worth it to at least _try_. And you did say you thought she was going to kiss you that one time."

"You told me I was probably being delusional." James reminded him.

"Hey, I've been wrong before." Sirius shrugged.

James flopped backwards on his bed with a groan. _Was_ he being delusional that day? No, he was certain she would have kissed him if they hadn't been interrupted. But why? Would it have been a mistake? Was she just tired and not thinking straight? Neither of them had brought it up since it happened.

He wondered if maybe he should ask her, but he was afraid of what she would say. Still, he had to know or he'd go insane.

Then again, he seemed to be going insane trying to figure her out anyway. Sometimes he was certain there was something between them, but it was also entirely possible that he was just misinterpreting things to look the way he wanted them to.

He had to know.

"I'm going to ask her. " He said simply.

* * *

James wrote to Lily with the details for New Year's Eve almost immediately. He sent his owl out a few hours after he got home, only realizing that it might seem a little over eager as the owl was flying away.

He drove Sirius insane worrying about what she'd think for hours until his owl returned with her response. It was short but she ended her letter with; "Can't wait! Love, Lily" so he took that as a positive sign.

When New Year's Eve finally came Mrs. Potter apparated to the Evans house and brought Lily back with her. They would all be learning to apparate this year anyway, but Lily wasn't exactly crazy about the feeling.

James waited eagerly for them to return, running to the front of the house to greet them as soon as he heard the familiar POP.

He skidded into the room, Sirius trailing behind him, trying to look as casual as he could when he greeted her.

"Hey, Evans." He nodded.

"Hi James." She smiled.

"Oh, it really is so great to finally meet you!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "James has been going on about you for ages!"

Lily giggled as James dragged her out of the room to show her around the house before his mother could go on, pressing her with questions on what exactly his mother had said when they were alone together.

It wasn't long before the rest of the guests arrived James, Sirius, and Lily spent most of the night in James's room with a bottle of firewhiskey and the bag of muggle candy Lily had promised James she'd bring.

When 11:55 rolled around Sirius found an excuse to leave the room so the two of them could be alone for a bit. From where they two of them were sitting on his bed they could hear the party downstairs. James tapped his foot nervously on the floor. Lily giggled and leaned against his arm.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you planned this, _Potter_."

"Planned what?" James asked, laughing at Lily's drunken giggles.

"You and me, drunk and alone in your bedroom." She said suggestively, poking him in the chest.

James's smile faded a bit and Lily leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"I was just kidding. I'm having a good time with you. It still feels a little weird to say that, but...I do like spending time with you." Lily nodded against his shoulder. "I guess I don't mind being alone with you as much as I thought I would."

James looked down at her, trying to decide if she actually meant this or was just too drunk to know what she was saying.

Beneath them they could hear everyone counting down from 10 and James took a deep breath, his heart beating harder than ever as Lily turned to look at him.

As the party goers below them reached 5 James reached up and put a hand on her cheek.

At 3 Lily's eyes shut and she leaned toward him.

At 2 their lips were just barely touching for the second time and when the people on the floor below them began screaming "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" James sighed and reluctantly put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

"Sorry...I just thought...never mind..." Lily said, quickly glancing away and getting to her feet to leave the room.

"Lily, _wait_!" James grabbed her hand and pulled her back down onto his bed beside him.

"I'm sorry." She said. "I shouldn't have-"

"No! _I_ shouldn't have. I just...believe me Lily, I've wanted this for years, I just...it would be a mistake."

Lily was actually surprised by just how much that hurt. Maybe he really wasn't interested in her anymore. She felt so foolish but her eyes stung and she bit her lip, way too proud to let him see her cry over this.

"A mistake." She repeated, getting to her feet again and shoving off his attempt at pulling her back.

James jumped up and stood in front of her, frantically trying to correct his mistake.

"No! That's not what I meant! I just...Lily, I've wanted this more than anything for years now. But I don't just want one kiss with you because we're drunk and it's some stupid tradition. I don't want you to sober up and feel like you've done something you regret." James finished, not meeting her eyes.

Lily sat back down on his bed and James followed, covering his face with his hands and huffing loudly. She put her hand on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what to say, she knew that she wanted to kiss him just as much drunk as she did sober, but of course he didn't know that.

"James-"

"I'm sorry Lily. I'm such an idiot."

He'd spent years flirting with her, talking himself up around her, making comments that often got him hexed, and secretly wishing to be in the exact position he had just been in minutes ago and now he'd completely blown it.

"James, you're not stupid. You're...sweet." She said, inching closer to him. "And you're right. After all this time, if something is going to happen between us it should be for the right reason."

Lily's hand slid from his shoulder to one of the ones that was covering James face and pulled it away, lacing her fingers through his. James sat up and looked over at her.

For a second they were both silent, then James smirked at her.

"Now, I noticed you said "if something is going to happen" and not "absolutely not, get away from me before I hex you" like you normally do. Should I take that to mean I have a chance, or-"

Laughing, Lily shoved him playfully, knocking him backward onto the bed. Without thinking James grabbed her and pulled her down on top of him, tickling her sides while Lily fought to stop him. She finally pried his hands off, the two of them still laughing for a second before it hit them that Lily was lying on top of him and their faces were inches away from each other.

The laughter died down and once again the two of them caught themselves just as they were about to kiss. Instead Lily dropped her head onto his shoulder and sighed.

James groaned quietly, beyond frustrated, and shut his eyes.

"Hey, Potter?"

"Hm?"

" _Maybe_ you should take what I said to mean there is a chance."

James was silent for a second and Lily fought the urge to look up at him, though if she had she probably would have though his absolutely bewildered expression was priceless. After the shock wore off James sighed.

"Would you be saying that if you hadn't been drinking?"

Now Lily sat up to look at him, sliding over so that she was beside of instead of on top of him.

"Probably not. But just because I wouldn't say it doesn't mean I wouldn't be thinking it."

James looked over her face. Her bright green eyes were staring into his hazel ones and she was leaning on her arms to look over at him. Her long red hair was falling over her shoulder and James reached over to brush it aside.

Lily smiled at him and he felt that funny little jolt of happiness that he only ever got with her. _I'm in love with this girl._ He thought, not for the first time. He'd been certain about this ever since last summer when they first started really getting to know each other. She'd always been perfect to him and he knew he wasn't the only one that saw it. He certainly saw the way Snape looked at her, and begrudgingly realized that it was the a little too much like the way he did. Now that the roles were reversed and Snape was the one she couldn't stand he almost felt bad for the Slytherin boy. He didn't even want to think about how it would feel to go back to Lily hating him now.

That thought was what stopped him from really trying to push their relationship lately. No matter how many times he told himself that things were different now he couldn't help imagining her rejecting him like she always used to. Granted she'd probably not be as harsh anymore.

 _But there is a chance. I have a chance. She said so herself._ He reminded himself.

So he was going to take that chance and hope that for the first time he wouldn't mess it up. Or at least that she'd still talk to him if he did.


	13. Eavesdropping

**As always thank you so so much for reading/following/reviewing etc.! I own nothing.**

* * *

Remus and Callie almost didn't want the holidays to end. They missed their other friends of course, but the week alone together had been wonderful and Remus felt like if they could just stay like that he'd have nothing to worry about. The day before their classmates would return they went outside and had a huge snowball fight that ended when Remus grabbed Callie around the waist and trapped her with him in a swarm of snowballs she'd enchanted to attack him.

Callie hid her face in his chest and Remus buried his in her hair, laughing as the snowballs hit them over and over. When they stopped they were both soaking wet and laughing. The two of them retreated back to the common room to warm up by the fire, where they spent most of the night.

"Hey Remus? Can I ask you something?" She seemed kind of hesitant but he nodded.

"Of course."

"You don't have to answer, I was just wondering, how old were you when...?" She bit her lip and looked up at him, not entirely sure how to word her question.

Remus understood what she was asking without her having to finish anyway and she was relieved to see that he didn't seem bothered by it.

"Five." He said simply.

Callie's mouth fell open, her eyes widening in shock. It was hard enough picturing him going through all this when he was eleven, but _five_ seemed outrageous.

"Five years old?"

"My father got into a...disagreement with a werewolf who happened to have a thing for attacking children. My dad said… _something_ he didn't like so to get back at him he..." Instead of finishing he just gestured to himself, smiling wryly.

For a moment Callie was speechless. Part of her wanted to ask what his father had said but he seemed reluctant to say it.

"It must have been awful." She said sadly.

"I don't really remember much." He admitted.

He was glad he didn't remember much because it really had been awful. Unfortunately, this also meant he could hardly remember what it was like not to be like this. He thought he had some vague memories of watching the full moon as a child but it probably hadn't seemed important at the time. Something he thought he'd see a million times.

Callie leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his and after hesitating a minute her turned to look at her and didn't see anything close to what he was expecting. He thought he'd see the same sad look on his mother's face when he was six and she had to explain to him why he had no friends and why he'd never have any siblings, or the way his father looked at him, like of course he loved his son but he was still this broken thing that would never actually be the normal boy he wanted. He expected shock and pity and disgust and disappointment but instead she just smiled up at him the same way she always did before she knew what he was, as if nothing had changed.

It was late when they went their separate ways to go to bed. The next day all their friends returned and Remus watched as James, Peter, and Sirius all unpacked their things.

James went on (for the "millionth time", according to Sirius) about what had happened between him and Lily on New Year's Eve and his new found determination to finally make a real move (which to his friends seemed like nothing new).

"So, how was your holiday, Moony?" Sirius asked, collapsing on his friends bed.

Before Remus could answer Sirius made a strange face, twisting around to glance over his bed before picking up a pillow and sniffing it loudly. His friends all looked at him funny but Sirius just smirked at Remus.

"Your pillow smells unusually... _feminine_." He hinted, giving Remus a suggestive look.

James and Peter quickly turned to him and Remus shook his head just as fast.

"You didn't!" James exclaimed, grinning at his friend.

" _No_ , I didn't." Remus assured them, taking back his pillow from a now very disappointed looking Sirius.

"Callie just feel asleep here one day, that's all."

"Oh, _really_?" Sirius nudged him.

"Really."

He told them how she'd been waiting for him when he returned to the hospital wing after the full moon, about her gift, how they'd fallen asleep together and the week they'd had.

When he was done Sirius shook his head, James rolled his eyes, and Peter was just smiling at him.

"What?" Remus asked, glancing uncertainly at them.

"All that and you're honestly still pretending she's not the least bit interested in you? Come on, Moony." Sirius shook his head disapprovingly, picking up his pillow again and hitting him in the face with it.

Sirius was right, it did still smell like her.

"We're just friends." He said, sounding uncertain and a little bit sad.

He decided to drag his exasperated friends down to dinner before they could try and push him anymore.

* * *

Callie pressed Lily for details on New Years Eve as soon as they were alone.

"Ugh." Lily groaned. "I got drunk and acted like an idiot."

"And?" Callie leaned toward her.

"And James was very...sweet. We - er, _may_ have almost kissed." She admitted begrudgingly.

"Almost? What happened?" Callie exclaimed.

"He stopped."

Callie's eyes nearly popped out of her head. That was without a doubt the last thing she expected from James Potter. She wondered for a second if she'd heard her wrong.

"Wait, what? _He_ stopped?! Not you stopped him?"

Lily sighed, straightening up and looking up and away from her.

"He said that he didn't want to kiss me just because we were drunk and it was a tradition." Lily couldn't stop the small smile as she said this. "I guess he wanted it to be for the right reason."

She did wish that more had happened between them but when she sobered up something about the whole situation made her feel more certain about her feelings for him. She never thought he'd be the type to take advantage of her when she was drunk but she also never expected that he'd pass up the chance to kiss her after everything he'd said over the years.

"I kind of thought, after all these years of flirting and him asking me out, that even he didn't expect me to say yes. I never thought he was taking me seriously but I guess...he takes it more seriously than I thought."

"What did you say?" Callie asked.

"I...told him to try again." She grinned over at her friend. "Isn't it ridiculous? I actually _want_ him to try again."

Callie returned her smile. Of course she wanted him to try again. Callie had known since she first learned how to tolerate him that they'd eventually end up like this.

"What about you?" Callie frowned and sat down on Lily's bed.

"It was great." She gave Lily the details about their time together and while she seemed happy there was a sad tone in her voice.

"So what's wrong?"

"He's just...sometimes I think he's definitely into me but it's so hard to tell. He's not flirty or suggestive like James or Sirius but one minute he'll be acting like he fancies me, the next...it's like he suddenly realizes what he's doing and stops himself. I really like him but I never know what to think."

Lily nodded. She'd seen exactly what Callie was talking about on many occasions and while she understood why he was acting like this she still thought he was being ridiculous.

She knew Callie would object but sooner or later they were both going to get hurt so she silently decided to talk to James about them.

* * *

As it turned out, she didn't have to talk to James about anything, at least not anything related to Remus and Callie.

Later that night Lily couldn't stop tossing and turning in bed. All she could think about was how it had felt to almost kiss James. She wanted to say something to him but she didn't know how and it was certainly not an option this late at night.

She tiptoed down the stairs but two voices stopped her before she entered the common room.

Remus and James were sitting in front of the fireplace, the only remaining people in the common room this late at night

Remus leaned back on the couch beside James, frowning at the fireplace while he tried to think. He'd wanted to talk to him about Callie alone because he knew he was the only one who might come close to understanding. Sirius jumped from girl to girl so quickly he doubted he'd have any idea how to help and Peter was the exact opposite. James, however, knew exactly how it felt to feel the way Remus did and after years of listening to and helping him through his situation with Lily he figured at the very least that he couldn't hurt the situation.

"You know Callie feels the same way you do." James said simply.

"I doubt that."

"But she does. I don't know how you don't see it. Ask her out, I know she'll say yes."

The two of them were silent for a moment and Lily leaned against the wall, keeping out of sight for now.

Remus shook his head.

"It's easy for you. You've asked Lily out more times than I can count."

"And you thought that was _easy_? She turned me down every time!"

He certainly knew that, what he didn't understand was how he could keep trying after so long. Even if he was normal so he could ask her out Remus was pretty positive he'd give up after the first rejection, never mind the first dozen.

"I'm not as persistent as you. Or as resilient."

"I'm telling you, she'd say yes. I know it."

Remus's frown deepened. He leaned his chin on his hand and squeezed his eyes shut, thinking back to the worried look she seemed to reserve just for him around the full moon. He imagined the way she'd told him she was lying awake in bed, tossing and turning and anxiously waiting for him just over a week ago.

"And if she does – and I'm not saying I think she would – then what? I don't want to be a burden on her. I already feel like I am."

James shook his head, chuckling at his friend.

"How in the hell do you think you're a burden on anyone?"

Remus turned and looked over at him, his eyebrows raised as if he didn't feel like the question needed a verbal answer but James mirrored his look, waiting for him to go on.

"She was up all night worrying about me last time- "

"That doesn't mean you're burdening her, it means she cares about you, idiot."

Remus opened his mouth to respond but stopped. He knew what he wanted to say but somehow, even alone with one of his best friends he felt like he had to force the words out. If it was this hard to say now what would it be like if he ever tried to say it to her? The words just fell out of him when he was talking to Lily, like the most obvious thing ever. _My name is Remus, the sky is blue, and I love Callie Moore._ So why was it so hard when he actually had to think about it?

"I'm scared, Prongs." He said quietly, staring back into the fire again. "I can't stop thinking about her. Ever. She's so perfect to me and everything feels so natural when I'm with her, but then I remember that night in the woods and the look on her face, and how it felt when I was a wolf and I just wanted to hurt her and I just…" He trailed off and buried his face in his hands.

He hated himself for that night. He never wanted to think like that when he was looking at her and he never wanted anyone to see him like that, especially Callie.

"I love her." He finally pushed the words out.

James reached over and put his hand on Remus's shoulder, following his gaze into the fire.

"You'd be scared no matter what, mate. I'm scared. I think you're supposed to be scared when you realize you love someone."

From where she was hiding Lily's breath caught in her throat and she leaned closer to where the boys were sitting.

"What do you have to be scared of?"

"Lily and I are finally friends. That's why I haven't tried anything this year. I don't _want_ to screw this up again, but I love her too much not to at least try before it's too late."

Lily's eyes went wide, her heart racing and she chanced a quick look around the corner at the two boys on the couch. They both had their backs to her, but while Remus was slumped forward, looking defeated even from here, James seemed absolutely certain of what he was saying.

"Girls don't wait around forever, Moony, no matter how they feel about someone. If you don't try you _will_ lose her. I know you haven't already forgotten how it felt when she had that date with Hunter Kelley. What about when she's asked out by a guy who's actually decent?"

He knew he was being a little harsh but it was the truth. Remus had already told him what it was like seeing Callie and Hunter kissing in the hall. Now Remus was trying not to imagine what it would be like to see that every day. Callie and some guy who she was crazy about, holding hands in the halls, sitting with all of them at dinner with his arm around her, kissing in between classes.

"As long as she's happy-"

" _You_ deserve to be happy too, you know."

Remus shook his head and Lily listened to him explaining for the second time his worries about what would happen if their relationship progressed after school ended.

"I can't ask her to deal with the stigma around someone like me in the real world."

"I don't think she'd care."

" _I_ care. She deserves better than that." Remus insisted.

"You said she deserves to be happy. You'd make her happy. And I'm sure it would be nice to have someone by your side through all of it."

"I have you, Sirius, and Pete."

"Well, yeah, but I don't think you want any of us snuggling up in bed with you. But hey, if you ever get _that_ lonely-"

"Shove it, Prongs."

They started laughing and the conversation became much lighter and Lily crept back up to her bed, her mind replaying what James had said over and over.

" _I love her too much not to at least try."_

He loved her. James Potter loved her. It had been a joke for ages, _"_ _Oh, of course he asked you out again, he's in love with you."_ But she never seriously thought about it until now. She never thought she'd hear him say it so matter-of-factly. _"_ _I love her"_

She crawled back into bed with butterflies in her stomach. Somewhere in the back of her mind she made a mental note to talk some sense into Remus, but all she could hear as she drifted off to sleep was those three words.


	14. Good Friends

**So, I've stayed up way later than I intended to get this online but here it is! Along with the usual "I own nothing" and a million thank yous for all my wonderful readers!**

* * *

Not much changed as the school year progressed. James tried over and over to push himself to make a move but he couldn't help feeling like something wasn't quite right every time. That, combined with fear that he'd damage their friendship left Lily confused and frustrated as to why he hadn't done anything. She knew he hadn't been too drunk to remember what she'd told him on New Year's Eve, and between that and what she'd heard in the common room she wasn't sure what to think.

Muggleborns continued to be harassed and occasionally attacked, though nothing terribly violent, the worst of it had been what happened with Lily and the owl but, while the war still raged outside, things had slowly evened out in the school.

And Callie continued to be confused as all hell by Remus, who insisted that being a werewolf made him too dangerous and undesirable for a relationship.

Lily walked alone down to the great hall for dinner. It was finally spring and starting to get warm and after putting off her studying for too long so that she could enjoy the weather Lily had spent the afternoon in the library, trying to finish studying before the Easter break. Unfortunately, now she was late and had to rush down the hall to make it to dinner.

Someone was walking behind her but she paid them no mind. She thought over in her head the potions homework she'd just been studying, trying to memorize various ingredients and what they did when she saw the boy behind her take out his wand out of the corner of her eye.

She quickly spun around and blocked a spell from the fifth year Slytherin behind her. He seemed surprised but sent another hex her way. Lily quickly disarmed him, catching his wand in her hands and sending her own bat-bogey hex at him.

The commotion attracted the attention of Professor Slughorn, who curiously poked his head around the corner.

"Whats going on here?" He said, putting an end to Lily's hex and glancing between the two of them curiously.

"This boy attacked me!" She yelled furiously.

"Well, tell your _friend_ Potter to mind his own damn business!"

"What the hell has that got to do with me? You just attacked a prefect, you know!"

"I don't give a damn what you are!"

"Now, now, calm down and tell me what happened!" Slughorn insisted.

The boy didn't bother defending himself as Lily told him what had happened and handed the professor the boys wand with the assurance that he'd take care of things. By now she'd already missed dinner so she instead headed off in search of James, who she found outside of Filch's office with Sirius and Callie.

"Potter!" She called angrily, and James immediately spun around, a guilty expression on his face.

"Er- Hey Lil. We were just-"

"Why did a fifth year Slytherin I've never met just try to hex me in the hallways?"

"What! Who? I'll-"

"He told me to tell _you_ to mind your own business! What the hell did you do this time and _what_ does it have to do with me?"

James's shocked expression quickly turned to realization.

"Was he a short boy with dark blond hair?"

Lily nodded.

"What did he do?" He stepped forward and looked Lily up and down worriedly. She seemed uninjured.

"Nothing really, he missed me completely and he wasn't trying to really hurt me. Besides, he's with Slughorn now. Who was he?"

"I don't know his name. I caught him picking on a first year before the holiday and I turned his socks into butter. I've caught him messing with the kid a few more times and…well, lets just say I'm not his favorite person."

Lily nodded, stifling a giggle because she knew he'd probably gotten the idea to turn his socks into butter after Lily tried it on him in third year.

"Well what's this got to do with me?" She asked.

"I don't know. He mentioned you once. Called you a..a…er…" James hesitated for a moment, messing with his hair again. Lily wasn't particularly sensitive but it was still a nasty word and he didn't like it.

"Mudblood." She nodded understandingly, a thin smile on her face. Even before they were friends James had always been touchier about the word than her.

It wasn't that the word didn't bother her, especially at first, but she didn't like to let other people's ignorance effect her too much, and it seemed to bother them much more if she didn't seem to care.

"Yeah." James grimaced. "When I catch him I'm going to- "

"To do nothing because it's not worth it to start trouble over something so childish?" Lily interrupted.

James nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah. That."

"What are you doing _here_?" She glanced over at Sirius and Callie.

"I'm just here to watch them fail, apparently." Callie shrugged.

Sirius rolled his eyes and James turned back to her.

"We're not _failing_. We just haven't succeeded. Yet."

James glanced down at the floor and Lily followed his gaze, noticing that the hallway around them was soaked.

"We were trying to make it snow but we could only get rain." James frowned, running a hand through his hair and looking down at his wand as if it would tell him what they were doing wrong.

He tried twice more to make it snow but the closest he got was some freezing cold rain, which happened with a pop that soaked them all, making Sirius shriek louder than anyone as he got the worst of it. With a sigh Lily pointed her wand up at the ceiling above Filch's office door and muttered something under her breath. A thick blanket of snow started falling, like a blizzard concentrated around the door. Within seconds it was nearly up to the doorknob and the three of them had to back away as it piled around their legs.

James turned toward Lily with an impressed smile.

"Did little Miss Prefect just help us lowly little commoners with a prank? What an honor."

Lily rolled her eyes, then swore under her breath as Mrs. Norris came trotting toward them. James grabbed her hand and ran off down the hall and Sirius and Callie started off in the other direction.

"Shit!" Callie giggled as she slipped on the snow.

Sirius grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up, pulling her down the hall with him, both laughing like mad as they heard Filch yelling behind them, startling a group of second years.

At the other end of the hall James was running backward, still holding Lily's hand tightly.

"That was pretty good, Evans."

"Well someone had to help you out, that was pathetic." She teased.

James's laughed and shook his head. Lily looked down at their hands and smiled.

"Well now I'm certain you're my dream girl, Eva- oof!"

Neither of them were looking as James ran into another boy walking in the opposite direction. The two of them tumbled to the ground, James pulling Lily down on top of him, both still laughing so hard their sides hurt. Lily buried her embarrassed face in James's shoulder for a second before turning to face the person they'd knocked down. Her smile faded a bit and James smirked as they noticed Snape glaring at them, taking in their entwined hands and soaking wet clothes and the way James helped Lily to her feet, wrapping one hand around her waist and smiling down at her. For a second the two of them seemed to forget the boy they'd knocked down completely and Lily adjusted James's crooked glasses, but then she backed away from him, turning bright red.

"Sorry." She mumbled. "We didn't see you."

Lily tentatively reached out her hand to help Snape up. He eyed it warily, glancing briefly at James before looking back at her. She was smiling down at him apologetically, her hair dripping and her makeup smudged from the water. It was the first time since last summer that she'd looked at him without a glare or a quick glance away but his eyes slid down to James's hand on her back and he looked away, ignoring her hand and getting to his feet.

"Whatever." He muttered.

Lily frowned as he walked away but quickly pushed him from her mind and turned back to James.

"Ugh. I can't believe I missed dinner." She groaned.

Without a word James took her hand back in his and pulled her down the halls toward the kitchens.

"How do you know where _everything_ is?"

James just smirked and gestured for her to enter. They were immediately greeted by two excited house elves and quickly found themselves sitting side by side while Lily finally ate dinner. She was so hungry it took her a minute to notice that James had been watching her. She swallowed the food in her mouth and smiled shyly, blushing again as he reached over and wiped some mascara from her cheek.

"Do you want me to dry you off?" He asked, taking out his wand.

"I don't know, promise you won't set me on fire?" She joked.

"Look at yourself Lils, you're already on fire." He rolled his eyes and cast a quick charm to dry the two of them off.

Lily laughed and flicked some pumpkin juice at his face with her fingers.

"Watch yourself, Mr. Quidditch Star. You've got a big game tomorrow." She reminded him.

Gryffindor was playing Slytherin tomorrow and James and the team had been practicing like crazy for weeks.

"Will you be there to cheer me on?" He asked with a cocky smile.

"Something like that." She nodded.

"Then I've got nothing to worry about."

* * *

In their attempt to get away from Filch Sirius and Callie nearly ran into Professor McGonagall who, to their surprise, didn't bother scolding them.

"Ms. Moore, I've been looking for you. Come, your brother is in Professor Dumbledore's office." McGonagall nodded and Callie couldn't help hearing a hint of sympathy in her voice.

"My brother?" She asked uneasily, glancing over at Sirius quickly before following McGonagall to the Head Master's office without even giving herself a chance to think.

Her older brother Jet was sitting in a chair, tapping his fingers on his leg anxiously. He looked up the second she walked in the room and jumped to his feet, wrapping his arms around her.

Jet was almost a foot taller than Callie, with the same long dark hair, but his eyes were a deep brown rather than a bright blue and he was very tan and muscular. He'd finished school the year before Callie started and married a lovely muggleborn girl named Sarah that Callie was crazy about.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Amelia." He said quietly.

Callie went pale and let her brother lead her over to a chair. She hardly registered McGonagall and Dumbledore on the other side of his desk, watching them sadly. Amelia was the oldest of the Moore children and she'd become more and more distant over the past few years. Callie had hardly heard from her since last summer and most of her letters to her went unanswered.

"W-what happened to her? Is she okay?" Callie asked urgently.

Jet shook his head and buried his face in his hands. Callie's heart sunk to her knees as her brother tried to compose himself.

"Well? What happened!" She pressed.

"She – she joined You-Know-Who!" Jet exclaimed, angry tears in his eyes.

Callie glanced between him and the professors, shaking her head.

"This is a joke, right? You have to be kidding. She wouldn't! Amelia would never-"

Jet took her hand and squeezed it tightly.

"She's started dating some pureblood _prick_. He's got her completely brainwashed and mom and dad…they agree with them. They – they…I can't let you go back there. They've lost their minds, they're suddenly ranting about all this pureblood nonsense, the wont even look at Sarah and Grandma and Grandpa won't speak to them anymore."

Callie listened numbly to her brother. Apparently Amelia and her parents and grandparents had a huge fight over Christmas and no one had told her. Jet had been hoping it would all blow over but things had only gotten worse.

"You're of age now, correct?" Dumbledore asked.

Callie turned to him and tilted her head, trying to understand what he was saying.

"Yeah, my birthday was last month…"

"You don't have to go home to them. If you want, you can come stay with Sarah and I." Jet said gently. "I understand if you don't want to. Crazy or not, they're still our parents. But-"

"I want to stay with you." She said quickly.

She didn't even realize she had been crying until she said this but now that she did she buried her face in her hand and wept for only a second before taking a deep breath and pulling herself together. She didn't want to sit and cry like this in Dumbledore's office.

Jet agreed to be the one to tell their parents and to at least try to get her belongings from their house. The professors gave them some time alone to talk but Callie very quickly became too emotionally drained to say much.

She gave her brother a tight hug goodbye, making him promise to write as soon as he spoke to them and numbly pulled herself back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting in the common room waiting for her, Remus worrying like crazy after Sirius told them where she was. Every day more and more families were being murdered by Voldemort and his followers and at this point it was only natural to fear the worst.

The three boys jumped up and surrounded her instantly, all quickly noticing the vacant expression on her face and the tears in her eyes.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" Remus asked.

Callie just nodded, not looking at any of them.

"Yeah. Nothing's happened." She said with an empty voice. "I – I think I'm going to go to bed. I'll have to write my parents in the morning and…"

She shook her head and pushed past them without another word. She couldn't tell them that half her family had suddenly sided with one of the worst dark wizards in history. What would they think? How could they even look at her when they knew Callie's own sister would be one of the people fighting against them in this war? She'd always been so close to Amelia and they knew it. What if they thought she would -

Callie stopped in her tracks on the stairs to the girl's dormitory and spun around. She could still see her friends staring at her from the bottom of the stairs. Peter, Sirius, and Remus, all looking worried.

Sirius whose entire family had disowned him because they thought he was a blood traitor. Remus, who just a few months ago had been terrified thinking she would hate him for being a werewolf, worrying that _she_ wouldn't be able to look at _him_.

Her worries suddenly felt so stupid when she realized how badly she needed her friends right now. Callie ran down the stairs two at a time and threw herself into Remus's arms. He held her tightly and let her cry until she couldn't breathe without asking why. After a minute Sirius nudged them and Remus led her upstairs into their dorm and away from the curious eyes of their classmates.

"A-Amelia." She choked out.

"What happened to her?" Remus asked.

"N-nothing…s-she's…she joined _him_. You-Know-Who. A-and my p-parents…they're on h-er side." She sobbed. "S-she was never like this b-before! I don't understand w-what happened." She continued crying into his shoulder and Sirius kneeled down in front of her.

"Hey." He said softly. "It's not so bad." She glanced up at him and Sirius shook his head. "Okay, it really sucks but…you're not the only one. And you have us and Lily and James. Do you have anywhere to go?"

Callie nodded slowly.

"I'm staying with my brother."

"Your brother doesn't live too far from Lily and I. We'll all be able to see each other more over the summer." Remus offered.

Callie smiled weakly up at him, sniffling and blinking away tears.

"I just don't understand what happened. She was never like this before, but I guess now she's with this guy and he's convinced her to get into the wrong side of this stupid war. And my parents…" She squeezed her eyes shut and felt Remus reach up and wipe her tears with his thumb.

"It'll be okay." He assured her.

As she started to calm down James and Lily ran into the room, having been told that something was wrong by a few classmates who'd seen her crying in the common room.

"What happened?" Lily asked, her eyes falling on Callie, who was still crying on Remus's shoulder.

The six of them stayed in the boy's dorm trying to cheer Callie up until she could hardly keep her eyes open. Remus walked Callie and Lily to the bottom of the stairs, giving her one last hug and a kiss on the forehead before she walked away.

She smiled weakly as she crawled into bed. At the very least she felt lucky to have such wonderful friends by her side.


	15. Good Game!

**Woohoo three chapters in 24 hours! I still don't own anything and thank you so so much for reading and favoriting and commenting and whatnot! Always makes my day.**

* * *

Callie woke up early the next morning but she didn't get out of bed. She thought about writing to her brother or her parents but she had a feeling there was no need. If Jet was going to talk to their parents they'd probably be writing her themselves soon.

When Lily woke up the two of them got dressed and walked down to breakfast together.

"So, what happened with you and James after we all ran off?" Callie asked.

"We ended up in the kitchens. I hadn't eaten dinner yet and it almost felt like…a _date_. Sort of." She sighed. "I just don't understand. Even after what I heard him saying in the common room that night he still hasn't made a move."

She was starting to understand how Callie felt with Remus, though at least with the two of them Lily knew why Remus hadn't done anything yet. James was driving her crazy.

"So why don't you?" Callie asked.

"Huh?"

"Make a move, I mean. You know he's interested, and you've never been the type to sit around and wait for a guy anyway." She shrugged.

Lily thought for a moment. What was holding her back? Nothing, really. It all seemed so foolish. She really wasn't the type to wait for a guy, so why was she?

They saw the Marauders heading out of the great hall and Lily's eyes immediately fell on James. He was in his Quidditch uniform, one hand on the door to exit the school when she called his name.

"Potter!" James spun around, waving over to her and Lily ran up to him, followed by Callie.

"Hey, Evans, come to wish me-"

Lily interrupted him, grabbing the front of his uniform with one hand, the other reaching behind his head, and pulling him toward her, she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, finally kissing him like she'd been wanting to all year. For a second James was so shocked he could hardly respond but he quickly returned the kiss, his arm wrapping around her waist to pull her closer and one hand on her cheek. Lily's fingers tangled into his hair, messing it up for him before he could do it himself for a change and she could feel James smiling into the kiss.

Behind them Sirius whistled and they heard Callie laughing loudly. When they separated James looked absolutely dumbfounded and Lily was breathless, though she seemed to have stolen his usual smirk.

"Good luck." She chuckled, biting her lip and turning to go into the great hall. Callie followed after her, winking at James who was leaning on the door and watching Lily walk away with the goofiest grin across his face.

* * *

Of course Remus was happy for James. He'd been absolutely ecstatic since Lily kissed him and it certainly showed in the way he played today, but every time he glanced over at Callie he couldn't help feeling a small twinge of jealousy. She was sitting between him and Lily, cheering on the team excitedly but every once in a while, she'd notice Remus's eyes on her and smile at him before he had a chance to look away.

Somehow, despite all the noise James could clearly hear Lily cheering his name as he scored the goal that won them the game. The Slytherin seeker caught the snitch but it didn't matter, Gryffindor won by nearly twice the points Slytherin had.

As soon as he was on the ground James ran over to where Lily was walking towards him and the two of them threw their arms around each other. James put both his hands on her cheeks and kissed her deeply. They could hardly hear everyone cheering around them and they weren't at all self-conscious of the crowd of onlookers watching them until long after they pulled away, both grinning at each other.

"Good game, Potter." Lily laughed, leaning up to kiss him again.

When they parted this time they wrapped their arms around each other and Lily rested her head against his chest. James still couldn't wipe the smile of his face, this was by far the happiest he'd ever been.

* * *

Later that night in the common room, after the party celebrating Gryffindor's win had died down Callie sat in a comfy chair in the corner, holding two letters in her hands.

The first was from her brother and the second from her parents. She'd been hesitant to open them since they arrived at breakfast.

"How are you doing?"

Sirius dropped down into the seat beside her, eyeing the letters in her hand and Callie shrugged.

"It kind of feels like if I don't open them I can just pretend last night never happened."

Sirius nodded. He understood what it was like to be in her situation, though Callie's family had always seemed a bit more functional than his to say the least.

"Are you sure they're not…I mean, you said they were never like this before. Maybe its…not them." He suggested.

"They're not under the Imperius Curse." Callie shook her head. "Whoever Amelia is dating now comes from a 'strong pureblood family'. He's got connections they want and the heart of their favorite daughter. Simple as that. If they were on the other side of the war my parents would be too."

Callie smiled sardonically as she opened and read through her parent's letter first. It didn't say anything she hadn't been expecting, just that they'd always wished she could be more like her sister and that if she disagreed with 'what they stood for' then she was better off not coming home at all.

The second was a simple letter from her brother saying that he had most of her things and that he and Sarah would set it up in a room for her so that she could come home to them for Easter. Callie noticed that he conveniently left out any details of what had happened between him and their parents and doubted it was because there was nothing to tell.

Callie dropped both of them on the table in front of her and sat back. If she did choose to go back home to her parents it would be the first thing she'd ever actually done that pleased them, not that she thought they'd notice. They were always both too busy with one thing or another and even if they weren't, Callie had never been the type to do whatever would make them happy. That had always been Amelia.

Despite their age difference Callie and Jet had always made a good team. They were each used to the other being the only one who had their side and even if they weren't so close she could never go home to anyone who supported Lord Voldemort.

"You alright?"

Callie looked over at Sirius and nodded.

"Yeah. Nothing surprising. I'd always kind of wished I could stay with my brother anyway."

Two fourth year girls glanced over at them from across the room, gossiping quietly about how close together they were sitting. Sirius wrapping her arm around her shoulders to hug her only seemed to confirm their suspicions about the two friends. They eyed Callie jealously, trying to figure out how she could have possibly gotten one of the most attractive guys in the school when they were startled by a voice behind them.

"They're friends, you idiots." Lily sighed, rolling her eyes.

The two girls blushed furiously and scurried away. Lily glanced up at Remus, who was looking down at the floor in front of him rather than at his friends across the room. He knew that there was nothing between Callie and Sirius but friendship but he couldn't help feeling a little jealous as he watched him comfort her.

He was certain that even on the off chance that Sirius _was_ interested in Callie he'd never act on it knowing how Remus felt but…the girls were right; he was considered one of the most attractive guys in the school. There was nothing stopping Callie from being interested in _him._

He shut that thought out as hard as he could. He'd know if Callie was interested in Sirius, right? He was being ridiculous. He felt bad for feeling so jealous, Callie needed someone who understood what she was going through and Sirius understood better than anyone.

He turned away from them and glanced over at where Lily was leaning back against James's chest. He was playing with her hair and she was smiling down at the book on her lap. They hadn't even been together for a day and they just fell into being a couple so quickly and naturally. He couldn't have been happier for them, especially after all the years James spent trying to figure out how to get her to go out with him.

Lily turned and looked up at James. One year ago this was the absolute last place she ever thought she'd want to be but there was no place else in the world she could see herself being any happier right now.


	16. Paranoid and Happy

**I know I say this every chapter but thank you, thank you, thank you for reading/reviewing! I still own nothing.**

Remus's pillow still smelled like Callie several months since she'd fallen asleep there.

Alright, so _maybe_ he'd charmed it to stay like that, he couldn't help it. He buried his face in his pillow, trying to fall asleep but all he could think of was Sirius comforting Callie downstairs. It was stupid to let it bother him, but Sirius always got all the girls and it wouldn't be the first time he caught the eye of someone Remus already liked, though in the past he'd never been close enough to the girl for it to really sting, and he'd never told Sirius about his feelings anyway.

It didn't matter anyway because Sirius would never try anything with her knowing how Remus felt, and besides, he had no real reason to believe Callie was even remotely interested in anything more than friendship with Sirius anyway. Remus was just being paranoid but…what if she _did_ want him? Sirius had made a few comments about Callie here and there that made him believe he would certainly be interested, though those were mostly before Remus had any real feelings for her. Maybe it would be good if they _did_ get together. Someone he knew well enough to know he wouldn't hurt her or attack her or break her heart. Knowing how Remus felt he probably wouldn't be all over her when he was around, and if Callie and his friends were happy then he was happy…right?

Then again Sirius wasn't really the 'serious relationship' type and suddenly Remus couldn't stop thinking about what they might be doing downstairs and all of Sirius's stories of what happened between him and more than a few girls when they were left alone in the common room at night ran through his mind. Remus threw off the blankets and jumped out of bed.

He was relieved to find that Callie and Sirius were just talking and they weren't sitting anywhere near each other and he felt both foolish and a little guilty for expecting anything else. James and Lily were snuggled up on a couch across from them. Peter seemed to be the only one absent, since he was asleep and snoring loudly upstairs.

Callie smiled at him as soon as he entered the room and Remus felt the familiar jump in his chest that he always got when she did that.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked, patting the spot beside her.

"Er- yeah. I guess."

Remus dropped down into the seat beside her and Callie inched over, leaned her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes. Without thinking Remus moved to put his arm around her but then stopped himself, his arm hovering above her. With a roll of his eyes Sirius waved his wand and Remus's arm slipped down around her waist, rather than her shoulder where he was originally planning on putting it.

He shot his friend a glare but Callie didn't seem to think twice about it.

"What's keeping you up?" She asked.

"Oh – nothing really." He said evasively.

Even with her eyes shut he knew Callie could see right through him but she didn't say anything. She had been about to go to bed when he came down but now she wanted to stay a little longer, especially with Remus's arm around her. It reminded her of waking up beside him on Christmas Eve and she felt a little flutter in her stomach at the memory.

Callie was feeling a little off during the train ride home for Easter. Her friends, especially Remus, tried to cheer her up but they already had a feeling she'd be a little tense. She thought she should miss her family but her parents were hardly ever present anyway, so it wasn't like she really had much to miss, but she felt like she _should_ miss them. Instead she was just angry, but she didn't want to think about it right now.

She said goodbye to all her friends and scanned the train station for a familiar face. Usually one of her parents would be waiting for her at the train station and she'd meet them with an awkward, stiff hug and a quick greeting. This time her brother was waiting for her and she ran to him excitedly, throwing her arms around him.

"How are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm alright." She nodded.

Jet knew this wasn't entirely true, but his little sister was smiling genuinely at him and that was enough for now. He glanced over his sister's shoulder briefly and saw a tall, pale boy with sandy colored hair and green eyes hesitating to approach them.

"Say goodbye to your friends and I'll meet you outside?" He asked, nodding in Remus's direction.

Callie turned to where Remus was waiting and walked over to him.

"Sorry, I – I didn't want to interrupt you or anything." He said, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets.

"No, its fine."

"I was just wondering, since we live pretty close to each other now, if you might want to come visit some time." He asked, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Yeah, I'd love to!"

Callie leaned up and wrapped her arms around him. Remus returned the hug and for a second he imagined himself leaning down and kissing her goodbye but he tried not to dwell on that for too long. They let go of each other and Callie leaned up to kiss him on the cheek before the two parted ways.

Remus smiled and watched her walk away with her brother until someone came up and nudged him on the shoulder.

He looked over and saw his mother looking at him knowingly.

"So, who was _that_?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her son.

"Just a _friend_." Remus cringed. "Callie."

His mother nodded and hugged her son. She'd missed him terribly, especially over Christmas, but after seeing how lonely he'd been as a child before he started school it made her happy to see him making friends who seemed to care about him.

Across the station Jet was nodding back in their direction.

"Boyfriend?" He asked.

"No." Callie said, though she was blushing bright red now.

 _I wish_ she thought. But Remus wasn't interested in her like that and she accepted it. Didn't make it sting any less, but what could she do?

* * *

Lily and James left the train hand in hand. When they saw Lily's family waiting for her he went to let go but Lily turned to him and planted a slow kiss on his lips, catching him by surprise. She hugged her new boyfriend goodbye, kissing him one more time.

When she looked up at James he was looking at her funny and Lily frowned.

"What?" She asked.

James shook his head, blushing and looking away from her.

"Its just…nice." He said, gesturing between the two of them. "This, I mean. After….you know, all these years of…and I never actually thought…" James shook his head, reaching up to mess with his hair again. "I'm just…happy." He finished sheepishly, finally looking over at her.

Lily wrapped her arms around him again, resting her head on his chest and James closed his eyes and held her. He'd hoped for years now but the reality of actually being able to kiss and hold Lily Evans any time he wanted felt like a dream. He kissed her on the top of the head and reluctantly let her go.

"I'm happy too." Lily smiled up at him, giving him one last kiss before heading off toward her family.

James was briefly mortified to notice her parents looking over at him, Mr. Evans looked baffled until his youngest daughter greeted him with a hug, and her mother smiled and waved to him. When he finally let his daughter go Mr. Evans waved over and smiled at him as well.

James waved back awkwardly, turning to look for his own parents, grateful that her father didn't seem tempted to kill him just yet.

As he caught sight of his parents Lily's words finally registered with him.

 _I'm happy too._

He smiled to himself. Just when he thought she couldn't make him any happier she did. All he'd wanted since third year now was to be with Lily Evans, but more importantly he wanted her to _want_ to be with him. Despite all his attempts he'd never wanted to wear her down. He didn't want her to agree to go out with him just to shut him up or- his more recent fear – say yes because they were friends. He wanted her to be with him because he made her happy instead of just driving her crazy for a change. He wanted to make her at least half as happy as just being with her made him and, judging by the smile she'd been wearing since they first kissed he had a feeling he was doing well so far.

As he walked over to his parents and Sirius he inadvertently caught the eye of Severus Snape, who was scowling at him miserably and he was surprised to find that he felt a tinge of pity. He was pretty certain he knew how Snape felt about her, at least when the two of them were friends, and realized that it must have really stung if he had just seen her kissing him of all people a second ago.

 _Merlin, I really must be more mature._ He thought with a chuckle. Any other time he would love to gloat about this, especially to _him_ , but Lily wasn't a prize to gloat about and he already knew how it felt for her to seem like she absolutely hated him.

James shook all thoughts of Severus Snape away as he turned back one last time to watch the back of Lily's head on her way out of the train station before giving his mother and father a hug.

Sirius noticed Snape whispering with an unfamiliar fifth year in his house and glancing in their direction occasionally but he didn't think much of it as the four of them left the station.

* * *

Callie's brother and sister in law lived in a fairly large house. Jet worked for the ministry and his wife Sarah was a healer, so they weren't exactly hurting for money. When she walked in Sarah wrapped her in a tight hug and asked all kinds of questions about school as she lead her up to the room they had set up for her.

"I hope you like it." She said as she opened the door.

The room was painted a lovely amethyst color with dark colored wood furniture. Most of her possessions from home were set up around the room and her trunk from school was lying beside her bed.

"Its perfect." Callie smiled at her sister in law, who seemed pleased.

"Great! I picked the color myself, but then I was worried you might not like it."

"I love it!" Callie assured her.

"Perfect! I'll let you get settled while I finish dinner." Callie nodded and closed the door to her new room.

She had a feeling she'd be much happier here than she was with her parents. She'd been pretty lonely since Jet moved out, though with school taking up most of the year anyway it wasn't really a big deal most of the time. Still, she was happy to get to spend more time with Jet and Sarah.

She sat down for dinner with them and they three of them caught up on how their lives had been since Callie started school.

"So – not that it wasn't better that you stayed at school for Christmas, but why did you stay?" Jet asked,

"Oh," Callie glanced down at her plate. "I had a friend who wasn't going home, and I didn't want him to be alone." She said.

"That boy from the train station?"

Callie nodded.

"That was sweet of you." Sarah said. "To be honest, we weren't planning on going over your parents for very long either."

"Why not?"

Jet sighed.

"Amelia and her new boyfriend, Aaron." He rolled his eyes. "We were going to stay with Sarah's aunt and uncle but…" Jet hesitated for a second.

"My cousin, Jimmy. He's the only other magical member of my family. He was a Gryffindor too but his last year of school was your first, you probably wouldn't remember him. He's very nice though, we've always been close. Wonderful person."

Callie nodded. Sarah was rambling, which she only ever did when she was nervous.

"Anyway, about a year or so after we finished school he…" She cleared her throat, looking over the table at Callie. "He was bitten by a werewolf. And…" She waved her hand in front of her, glancing out the window at the crescent moon in the sky.

"Right. The full moon was the 23rd." Callie nodded understandingly. "Where does he go? If his parents are muggles…" Come to think of it she wasn't sure what Remus did during the full moon when he wasn't in school either.

"He has a friend who helps him out then. Won't give me the details; it seems rather…unpleasant. But he wasn't feeling so great after that. He's wonderful though! Not a lot of people really see that, you know."

"Yeah, it seems really…painful." Callie trailed off, remembering the look on Remus's face and the way he'd screamed that night in the Forbidden Forest. It killed her to think that he had to go through that once every month, even more since she learned that he'd been going through this since he was so little.

She tried not to think too much about the way people outside of her circle of friends thought about werewolves. She already knew life wouldn't be easy for Remus after they finished school, she just hoped he'd let his friends help him if he needed it.

"And…neither of you have a problem with him being a…"

"Of course not!" Jet said, for a second he looked offended but then he and Sarah both noticed the relieved look on her face.

She had been afraid for a second that they would have given into the stigma around werewolves and the thought bothered her much more than she realized.

"Didn't you get into a fight about werewolves with that boy that attacked you?" Jet asked, and now she could see him leaning toward her with a curious expression that she knew meant he suspected something.

"Yeah." She groaned. "He said some really…disgusting things, and I sort of lost it." She rolled her eyes. "Don't like to think about him though."

Jet nodded.

"How did you know that the 23rd was a full moon?" He asked, taking a bite of his dinner.

"Oh. I…remember seeing it." She shrugged, taking a sip of her drink.

Jet didn't seem satisfied but he dropped the subject for now and the three of them continued talking about other things.

When they finished eating dinner and sat down together in the living room Jet took Sarah's hand and smiled at his sister.

"So, there was something we wanted to talk to you about." He started.

"Yeah?" Callie glanced between the two of them, trying to decipher what they wanted to talk about.

She didn't have long to think before Sarah and Jet grinned at her.

"We're having a baby!" Sarah exclaimed.

Callie gasped, throwing her hand over her mouth in surprise.

"Really?"

They both nodded and Callie jumped up and wrapped them both in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you! When's it due?"

"October." Sarah said, excitedly placing a hand on her stomach.

They spent the rest of the night discussing everything from baby names to ideas for the nursery and plans to bring Callie home from school around the due date. Callie fell asleep that night happier than ever, her parents not crossing her mind once.


	17. Too Close

**Firstly, AngelinaMarieA - thank you so much for all the reviews, you seriously make my day! I tried to sort of explain Remus's thought process when it comes to relationship in this chapter, and I am fairly certain that he was actually a halfblood, though I can't remember if I've mentioned it myself yet. As always thank you all so much for reading and guess what I own? Nothing! Enjoy.**

* * *

Lily's parents always had a million questions about Hogwarts. They were so fascinated with magic and Lily usually loved telling them all about it but lately it seemed sort of bittersweet. She tried to avoid telling them anything that might make them worry, like what had happened with the owl earlier in the year, being called a Mudblood by ignorant classmates, and the constant threats and cruel pranks flying around the school at people like her.

She wasn't the least bit ashamed of her family (though sometimes Petunia's behavior tested her) and she didn't want her parents feeling bad about anything. Lily was more than capable of handling her classmates on her own and she certainly didn't need her parents worrying about her at school, or the war that was waiting for her when she left.

It wasn't always easy, of course. After finding the dead owl in her bed she'd written a long letter to her parents about how hurt and upset she was but quickly destroyed it. As much as she wanted her parents comfort sometimes she just couldn't make them worry. She'd told her mother about what happened with Severus at the end last year, though that was only after she'd broken down crying after her parents asked for the dozenth time why she hadn't seen her former best friend all summer, but she assured her mom that 'mudblood' wasn't a word she heard often at all.

The Slytherin boy who tried to attack her hadn't been particularly threatening but the fact that he'd openly attacked her in the halls like that shook her much more than she wanted to admit.

Not surprisingly the conversation with her parents quickly shifted to James and Lily was happy enough to forget her worries for a minute.

She told her parents all about him, ignoring Petunias occasional backhanded comment and attempts to compare James to Vernon. Her sister always had to make little things like this into a competition when all that really mattered to Lily was that they were both happy and, while she couldn't imagine how anyone could be happy in the same room as Vernon Dursley Petunia certainly seemed to be.

And Lily couldn't deny that she was happy with James. She was pleasantly surprised (though she realized she probably shouldn't have been) by how sweet he was as her boyfriend and she'd missed him more than she anticipated when they weren't in school. Her time at home always felt like such a drastic shift from Hogwarts and she was both excited and worried about how her relationship with James would fit in between the two.

When the Daily Prophet arrived for her she almost didn't want to look at it. She was so happy being with her family and she knew there wouldn't be anything she wanted to hear in the paper.

Still, she couldn't just bury her head in the sand so she sat down on her couch and read the headline in large black letters.

 **THIRD MUGGLE FAMILY ATTACKED IN TWO WEEKS.**

Lily's heart sunk as she read the article. She was somewhat relieved to see that none of the attacks were near her home but still. The last one had been on the family of a boy who'd gone to school with her four years ago.

Lily glanced anxiously up at her mother and father in the next room. What would she do if something happened to them because of her? Suddenly she wondered if she should even go back to school at all. Maybe she should stay here and keep her parents safe? She was of age now. She could do magic outside of school, and technically if she wanted to drop out she could.

But she knew they wouldn't allow that and still remembered the letter on her bed. "GO HOME MUDBLOOD"

Staying home out of fear would just let all them win. She loved school. She would go back, finish her education, and fight to make the world a safer place for people like her and her family. It was her only option.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Her mom asked, poking her head into the living room. "You look a little pale."

Lily shook her head.

"Everything's fine, mom."

She looked over her mother's concerned face. She'd always been told they looked very alike, the same eyes and hair and heart shaped face. Her mom had a happy, carefree look that made Lily feel like everything would always be okay, even in moments like this, when she was worrying about her youngest daughter. She didn't think she could get by without that look, especially if she was the reason it was taken away.

Her mother took a few steps closer and looked her over as well as Lily folded the paper so she couldn't see the headline. She nodded at her before turning to leave.

"I love you." Lily said hastily as she neared the door.

Her mom turned back with a smile on her face.

"I love you too, sweetheart. "

Lily smiled but she felt almost sick to her stomach. How could she keep her family safe if she was at Hogwarts? How could she keep them safe if she didn't finish school and learn everything she could? Maybe they would be better with her far away. As far as she knew none of the muggle families had been attacked without their muggleborn child present. She had no intention of sitting back and watching the war unfold around her, so maybe they'd be safer with her far away.

* * *

After the initial excitement of hearing that she was going to be an aunt died down Callie began to worry that having her there might be a problem with the new baby but Jet and Sarah insisted that it was no problem at all. They had more than enough room for her.

She did live much closer to Remus and Lily now. On the last day before they went back to school Remus invited her to visit him and maybe stop in on Lily. Callie noticed Jet giving her a suspicious look but whether it was because he thought there was something between them or about the werewolf conversation she wasn't sure. Either way it didn't seem like a bad look so that afternoon she ended up on Remus's front step, knocking on the door.

A tall, burly man with the same sandy hair as Remus answered.

"Hi, I'm Callie." She introduced herself. "I'm here to see Remus."

The man smiled at her, though it didn't quite seem genuine, and stepped aside to let her in.

"Have a seat." He said, gesturing toward the living room.

Callie sat down on the couch, expecting him to get his son but instead he sat down across from her. She tried to hide her frown. Was she at the wrong house? No, he and Remus looked too alike, this had to be his father. Maybe Remus wasn't home? He knew she was coming.

"So, you and my son seem to be very close." He nodded.

Jet and Mrs. Lupin hadn't been the only one who witnessed their goodbye at the train station a few days ago and thought there was something more there.

"Yeah, I guess we are." Callie agreed, confused.

"Are the two of you... _together_?" He asked.

"Oh. No." Callie blushed, looking away from him. "We're just very good friends."

Mr. Lupin nodded.

"My son is a good boy, but he...he's...not quite...healthy-" He tried to word this without telling her the truth about his son but he wasn't sure what, if any, lie he had told her.

"I know." Callie interrupted. "About him, I mean. That he's a werewo-"

"He _told_ you?" For a second his father seemed angry and Callie shook her head quickly.

"No. No, he didn't. I figured it out and confronted him about it." She lied. "Not that it's obvious. He does a good job of hiding it. No one else suspects anything. And I'd never say anything." She assured him.

Mr. Lupin seemed to think for a moment. They'd had to move last summer because their old neighbors were starting to notice that Remus got sick and disappeared around the full moon and they knew that no matter how many times they assured them that he was both far away and locked up during that time they wouldn't care. It was easier to leave before they found out for sure. It was both scary and relieving for his father to meet people like Callie who knew about and accepted his son.

"What happened to Remus was...my fault. He's a - a good boy." Mr. Lupin said again. "And you seem like a good girl. He's had to deal with a lot because of his condition. Just...be careful. Please."

Callie's eyebrows furrowed and she tilted her head, looking confused. She couldn't read much in the look on his face and she couldn't understand what he was trying to tell her right now.

"I'm sorry?"

"I wouldn't want you to get hurt. And Merlin knows Remus would never want to hurt anyone. Just...try not to get too close to him." His father nodded.

Callie took a deep breath, shifting uncomfortably and looking down at her shoes. She knew his father was probably just looking out for him but it still felt wrong. Why shouldn't she get close to him? He was only dangerous one night a month and when that happened he was always far away from anyone he could endanger. She never felt safer than when she was with him any other time, and besides, they were very close already.

"Remus is wonderful." Callie said. "He's very kind and gentle and I know he would never hurt anyone." She assured him.

"Intentionally." Mr. Lupin finished.

The word seemed to hang in the air around them and Callie couldn't help remembering the way the werewolf looked at her when she was in the tunnel under the whomping willow.

Like it very _intentionally_ wanted to hurt her.

It was hard to believe that the wolf was Remus Lupin, the sweet boy who held her when she cried and joked with her between classes and got her in trouble for making her laugh during boring classes.

But no, the wolf wasn't her friend, not really at least. She knew Remus's mind wasn't really there when he changed. The Remus that mattered was the one she saw the next morning who was terrified at just the idea that he _might_ have hurt her.

"I love my son."

Callie understood that he had the best intentions but it just didn't seem right to her.

"I do too." She said without thinking, adding hastily; "He's one of my best friends."

"You must know the way the world looks at people like him."

Callie nodded and she could tell it hurt his father to think of things like this but she knew he was right.

"Shouldn't that be a reason to _be_ close to him? He shouldn't have to go through it all alone."

"No, he shouldn't. But when it comes down to it he is."

Callie sighed sadly. She knew that his friends support could only go so far but they all did everything they could to make sure he never felt alone.

After a minute of silence Mr. Lupin smiled, and this time it looked genuine, though not entirely happy.

"My son is lucky to have such good friends."

Neither of them realized that Remus had heard her the second she knocked on the door. He was standing outside of the living room, out of sight, listening to them the entire time and the whole conversation felt like a punch in the stomach. Remus tried to pretend he hadn't heard a word when his father finally called out that his friend was waiting for him. He waited a second so they wouldn't know he'd been listening then walked into the room and Callie smiled at him and got to her feet.

"Hey." He said, and Callie sensed a little twinge of sadness in his voice. "Do you want to go upstairs?" He asked.

Callie nodded, saying goodbye to his father, and followed Remus toward the stairs as his mother came out from a room at the end of the hall.

"Oh! Hello! I didn't know you were here already." She smiled warmly.

"Mom, this is Callie." Remus said gesturing to her.

Mrs. Lupin held out her hand and Callie shook it, returning her smile. It seemed that Remus got his looks as much from his mother as he did his father. They had the same green eyes and kind smile.

"Nice to meet you."

"It's so nice to meet you too. Remus never has girls over!"

Callie giggled as Remus turned red and quickly grabbed her arm and dragged her up the stairs before she could respond. Without thinking he closed his bedroom door then turned to Callie, who was sitting on his bed now, looking up at him.

"So...w-what did my father say to you?" He asked uneasily.

Of course he'd already heard the whole conversation. He wasn't even entirely sure why he was asking, except that he wanted to know what Callie was thinking about it all.

Callie frowned and looked down at his bedroom floor. She'd had a feeling he heard some of their conversation.

"How much did you hear?"

Remus hesitated for a second. He thought about lying to see what she would say but she always saw right through him when he lied. It was really a wonder that he managed to keep his secret from her as long as he did, though James said that it was probably _because_ she knew now that she could tell when he was lying. She knew him too well _. Because they were too close._

"Everything."

Callie looked up at him. She hadn't expected him to have heard that much. Remus saw the look on her face and groaned quietly. There was the pity he'd been expecting all year when she looked up at him and he absolutely hated it. But of course she felt sorry for him, his own father didn't think people should get close to him because of what he was.

"He had good intentions."

"He told you I was dangerous."

"You've said that to me yourself. And I don't believe it coming from either of you."

Remus sighed and closed his eyes.

"He told you not to get too close to me." He said softly.

Callie got up off his bed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"Like this you mean? We're already close, Remus and I've miraculously managed to survive this long."

Remus sighed and reached one hand up to the back of her head, leaning against his bedroom door.

Callie looked up at him, her face close enough to his that he could feel her breathing. He almost didn't hear what she was saying.

"Remus Lupin, you're one of my best friends and one of the best people I know and I'm going to be as close to you as I damn well please."

Remus didn't say anything for a moment and Callie blushed, realizing how _close_ they really were at the moment. She backed up a step but didn't take her eyes off his.

"You need to forget the idea that you're all alone in this because you're not."

Remus just nodded. He had known that since his friends became animaguses to help him. Since Lily told him he was stupid to ever think she could look at him differently, and since he saw Callie waiting for him outside of the hospital wing on Christmas Eve.

He wasn't alone.

But sometimes he thought he should be.

* * *

All Lily wanted was to enjoy the time she had with her family, even if it meant sitting through lunch with Petunia and Vernon.

She'd made up her mind to leave home the second she finished school. She wasn't going to disappear completely. She'd stay in contact, visit occasionally, but the farther away she was the safer she thought they would be. She'd be taking apparating lessons this year and once she passed that she could be home in a heartbeat if they we're in danger. She'd learn protective charms she could put on their house to keep them safe and then fight until there was no need to.

"Lily, why didn't you go to the same school as Petunia?" Vernon asked.

He said it casually but she thought she heard a hint of a sneer in his voice.

"Oh, I go to a private school. It's pretty exclusive, not many people get in." Lily shrugged.

"Lily's one of the top in her class." Her father chimed in.

"Have you thought about what you'd like to do when you finish school?" Vernon asked.

In truth Lily had considered a few things, most of which had been pushed to the back of her mind in light of the war, but none of this was anything she could explain to Vernon Dursley, so she shrugged noncommittally.

"I'm thinking over a few things."

This, unfortunately lead to a snort from Vernon, followed by another long and incredibly boring story about drills and how he's had his entire life figured out from birth, most of which Lily drowned out. After even her parents started to look like they couldn't take anymore her mother began to clear the table and her father turned to Lily.

"Lil, didn't you say your friends might be stopping by today?"

Lily nodded.

"But I can stay if you like."

She secretly hoped he'd let her go so she could get away from Vernon but she already felt like her time with them was so limited.

"No, no, go have fun."

When Callie and Remus showed up on her front porch she was all too eager to get away from her sister and her boyfriend. Lily waved a quick goodbye over her shoulder and ran out the door.

"I take it your sister's boyfriend is as delightful as ever?" Callie asked as the three of them started walking down the street.

"If those two ever get married I'm leaving the country, I swear." Lily shook her head. "How have you two been?" Remus didn't really have much to tell but Callie told her all about her week with Jet and Sarah and the baby on the way.

"And they said you guys can come over any time you want, by the way." Callie added.

"With Tuney's boyfriend at the house, I will definitely take you up on that." Lily chuckled. "What about you, Remus?"

"Oh." He sighed. "Are you sure they'd want me over? I mean, your sister in law is pregnant and not a lot of people want a werewolf around their baby."

Callie and Lily both rolled their eyes and Lily nudged him with her shoulder.

"Well, aside from the fact that they don't know you are a werewolf, and that the babies not due until next October, I can safely say they couldn't possibly care less even if they _did_ know."

Remus shook his head. Everyone thought like that in theory but the reality was usually very different. Callie could see that he was about to say something else so she interrupted him.

"Sarah's cousins a werewolf too. I think she said he finished school just as we started but he wasn't bitten until after."

Remus seemed taken aback for a second.

"Oh. And – and they don't care?"

Remus was a little surprised by this but Callie had been so accepting he thought it wasn't too odd, though he still wasn't about to announce it to her family.

"Nope." Callie said, making a little popping sound at the end of the word. "Sounds like they're close, but I only ever met her family at the wedding and I can't remember most of them. Apparently the only reason they ended up at my parents' house for Christmas was because her cousin wasn't feeling up to it."

"Speaking of which, have you heard from your parents?" Lily asked.

"Not since the letter they sent me last week. Which is okay. I can't imagine they'd have much to say that I'd want to hear anyway." She shrugged. "Anyway, how are you and James doing? Is it too soon to say I told you so or-"

Callie smirked at her friend and Lily gave her a light shove.

"Things are…great." Lily smiled dreamily and Remus and Callie exchanged a glance as they reached the park down the street.

The three of them sat down on the swings and Lily sighed. She'd been thinking more and more about what would happen when school was over. They were already so close to the end of their sixth year and she was sure seventh would blow by just as fast.

"What do you think is going to happen when we finish school?" Lily asked.

The three were silent for a minute and Callie was the first to speak.

"I think I want to be a auror." She said. "I mean, with this war and everything they're going to need them. What about you?"

Lily sighed sadly.

"I don't know. I keep hearing about all these muggleborns and their families being murdered and I just want to keep my family safe."

"I know what you mean." Remus said.

His mother was a muggle and he'd often worried that something might happen to her or his father for marrying her.

"I don't think I'll be an auror, but I definitely want to do something to make the world a bit safer. Once the war is over I'll think about an actual career. I've thought I might like to be a healer. What about you, Remus?"

He shrugged.

"Not much I can do, really." He sighed. "Werewolves usually have trouble holding down jobs. I'm sure I'll figure something out though." He assured them, scraping his sneakers into the dirt. "And I certainly would like to do my part in this war too."

There was a long silence while the three of them each thought over their futures. Remus had never really thought much about his because he honestly never expected much from it. He studied hard and got good grades in the hopes that it would make him a bit more employable but he still knew the odds were against him. Lily, on the other hand, had expected a lot from her future but now she felt like she had to put that on hold, and Callie always thought she'd just figure things out along the way. Her desire to become and auror came about mostly as a result of being attacked twice and having her family join the wrong side of the war, but it wasn't a decision she took lightly, especially now.

After no one said anything for a while Callie stood up on the swing and swung back and forth.

"Have you talked to James much this week?" Remus asked Lily, though he was looking up at Callie.

"Yeah, we've been writing and he came to visit a few days ago." She smiled.

Her parents both liked him very much when they met him over the summer and were thrilled to find out that they were together now.

"I'm glad things are going well for the two of you."

Lily leaned her swing closer to his and whispered quietly.

"Could be your turn, you know." She glanced up at Callie.

Remus shook his head, thinking back to what he'd overheard his father saying to her earlier.

Callie sat down on the swing, but kept swinging.

"I haven't even been near a swing in years." She laughed. "I used to love them when I was little."

The three teenagers put their worries for the future out of their minds and joined Callie, trying to see who could swing the highest or jump the farthest.


	18. I'll Get Over It

**I still don't own anything! Author note at the end this time!**

* * *

Callie had spent most of the year a little hurt that her sister Amelia didn't write to her like she used too. Now she wished she wouldn't. The first letter came in the middle of May and it mostly consisted of reminders of how close they'd been and how much her parents and sister loved her and how hurt they all were in a thinly veiled attempt at guilt tripping her into coming home. It didn't work and a week later another letter came, saying how much she missed her little sister and talking about all the memories they had together and the way things could be if she came home. One happy family.

Part of Callie wanted to believe that she was trying to guilt her into coming home because she thought she would be safer there, but she didn't want to believe it. Letters came for a few more weeks but she never wrote back. The last one was long and angry and clearly meant to make her feel absolutely horrible and she hated to admit that it worked.

Sirius knew how it felt to have your own family make you feel so horrible, so he went out of his way to be more comforting than usual, Lily was always there with a shoulder to cry on, and Remus always knew how to make her feel better but she was happy when the letters stopped coming and she could pretend everything was okay.

The rest of the year seemed to blow by before anyone realized it. Remus wasn't thrilled to learn that the last full moon of the school year was the day before they were all going home for the summer but he figured he could at least get some rest on the train.

Callie walked him down to the hospital wing as usual. Remus was teasing her relentlessly as she fussed over her potions notes. It was her worst subject and she was afraid she'd completely blown the final.

"Callie, really, you studied your ass off. I'm sure you did fine." He assured her for the fifth time since they started walking.

"I never do fine in potions!"

"You did well enough last year to keep taking the class."

Callie rolled her eyes, but she lowered her notes just enough for Remus to sense an opportunity. He grabbed them from her hands and ran off down the hall, Callie chasing after him.

"Come back!" She laughed. "That's not fair, you're freakishly tall. I'm short and slow, come on!"

She caught up with him near the hospital wing and grabbed the back of his shirt, yanking him back and reaching around him for the notes, pulling him back against a wall. Remus spun around quickly, holding the notes over her head against the wall where she couldn't reach them. She still had a grip on his shirt and pulled him closer in an effort to get him to drop them. The two of them laughed until they both realized how close to each other they were.

Remus looked down at Callie for a second, her head was tilted up toward him and she had pulled him so close that he had her back pressed up against the wall, her hands still gripping his shirt. Remus looked down into her bright blue eyes that made him feel like he was melting and took a deep slow breath but Callie seemed to be holding her breath as he slowly leaned forward.

A voice in the back of his head told him to stop but he couldn't bring himself to remember _why_ he shouldn't do the one thing he'd wanted more than anything as his free hand reached up to cup her cheek. Remus pressed his lips to hers and Callie released her grip on his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck. Remus dropped her potions notes and tangled his other hand in her hair. The kiss started out slow and gentle but quickly became much deeper as nine months of holding themselves back came through. Neither of them could even think about anything except his tongue in her mouth and Callie pressing her hips up against his. Why hadn't they done this sooner? The hand that had been on her cheek slid down to her waist to reach under her shirt and rest on her back. Callie gently bit his bottom lip before the two of them parted to catch their breath.

"Callie..." Remus looked into her eyes again, terrified and delighted at the same time.

She just smiled shyly up at him as Remus leaned down to kiss her again when a sound in the distance brought him back to his senses and suddenly he remembered why he'd been avoiding this all year.

He had somewhere to be.

Remus quickly recoiled as if she shocked him, breathing heavily, he shook his head.

"Remus?" Callie stepped toward him but he continued to back away.

"I – I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." He choked.

"But Remus-"

"This- this was a terrible mistake…I have to go! I'm sorry, Callie." Remus turned and ran toward the hospital wing, leaving a hurt and confused Callie behind him to pick up her potions notes.

* * *

Like any new couple, Lily and James had been absolutely thrilled to discover that the common room was empty for a change. Most people were upstairs packing or out somewhere in the school with their friends or finishing up something before they went home tomorrow so the couple found a comfortable seat in the corner and hoped that no one would come by _too_ soon.

They'd still only been together for a few months, so they hadn't quite gone _all the way_ yet, but they were certainly testing each other's self-control.

James couldn't even remember when Lily went from sitting beside him with a book to sitting on his lap with her legs on either side of him and the book on the floor but he certainly had no complaints as they kissed each other. He slid his hand up under her shirt and undid her bra, inching her shirt up.

"James." She breathed between kisses. "What if someone comes in?"

"I'll obliviate them. They won't remember a thing." He teased, his hand moving to the front of her shirt. "Or we could use the invisibility cloak." He nodded at the cloak on the seat beside them, waiting for when he snuck out to the Shrieking Shack.

He wouldn't take her shirt off in the middle of the common room this early in the night but her back was to the portrait hole and the dormitories and he was certain that from their seat they'd have enough time to straighten up before anyone saw anything. Lily ran a hand through his hair and with the other she gripped the couch and grinded her hips against his, moaning into his into his lips and James's free hand pulled her closer but a loud sound across the room startled them apart.

Lily leapt off of his lap and straightened up her shirt, while James adjusted his crooked glasses and casually leaned forward. The two of them looked up to see Callie walk into the room with her head low, looking upset.

"Callie?" Lily jumped up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, apparently." She hissed, wiping her eyes.

"Did something happen?" James asked. He'd seen her and Remus leave for the hospital wing not too long ago.

Callie opened her mouth to speak, but closed it, taking a deep breath and throwing her arms up.

"Hell if I know!"

Lily put her hand on Callie's shoulder and guided her down into a seat so she could make some sense of what was upsetting her.

"Is Remus alright?" James asked.

Callie's eyes flashed furiously and she shook her head.

"He – we – UGH!" She groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Lily was slowly starting to piece something together and cast a tentative glance at James.

"Did something happen between you and Remus?" She asked slowly.

"I'm not even sure." Callie shook her head dejectedly. "He…he kissed me. I mean he _really_ kissed me, and he seemed happy and then he…he just…ugh."

"Just what?" James asked.

"He said he shouldn't have and ran off. Literally _ran_ away from me. I don't understand what I did wrong." She said, fighting back tears.

She'd made mistakes with guys in the past but no one had ever actually run away from her before and she could usually pinpoint where she'd messed up.

James sighed and took off his glasses, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't think you did anything wrong." He said. "Remus is just…" He trailed off, not really sure how to explain his friend's behavior.

Callie sighed, wiping a tear from her cheek and staring down at her shoes. She didn't want to cry over this, she wanted to be angry while Remus wasn't here so she could pretend she wasn't feeling so incredibly hurt when he came back.

James glanced out the window and stood up, putting a hand on Callie's shoulder.

"I'll try to talk to him. If we hurry maybe Sirius and Pete and I can get to him before it's too late. Or we'll talk to him in the morning."

"Don't bother." Callie snapped. "Tell him to just forget about it. He said it was a 'terrible mistake' anyway."

James put his glasses back on and patted her shoulder.

"I'll see you in the morning." He gave Lily a quick kiss and disappeared into the halls to find Sirius and Peter. They weren't far since they'd been looking for him as well.

"Ready to head out?" Sirius asked.

"Er- yeah, but I think we have a…situation." James started.

"Oh?" Remus and Peter looked at James as they started off down the halls.

"Apparently Remus kissed Callie on his way to the hospital wing."

"Finally!" Sirius exclaimed, high fiving Peter.

James waved his hand, signaling that there was more to the story and they shouldn't get too excited.

"And then he ran away."

The two other boys looked at him for a second, then at each other. Unfortunately, this didn't surprise any of them.

"Shit." Sirius muttered.

"You don't mean he actually _ran_ away, do you?" Peter asked.

"According to Callie he said it was a huge mistake and 'literally ran away'. She's really upset."

"Shit." Sirius muttered again.

"I told her we'd talk to him before he came back tomorrow morning."

Sirius and Pete both agreed and threw the cloak over themselves, quietly discussing what they'd say when they spoke to him and assessing the situation based on what they knew so far. By the time they reached the shack it was too late to talk to him but it was the first thing on his mind when he changed back the next morning.

It was the first time in a while that Remus woke up in the hospital wing after the full moon and Callie didn't come see him. She wasn't always there when he woke up, but she always came by the first chance she got. He had a sinking feeling she wouldn't be doing that today. Maybe not ever.

"I made a huge mistake last night." He said and his friends all nodded as they left the hospital wing.

"We know." James said.

"You do?"

"Why the hell would you run away?!" Sirius exclaimed, grabbing his shoulder.

"Because…I don't know! It seemed like a good idea at the time!"

"Well it wasn't in case you were wondering. And neither was using the words 'terrible' or 'mistake' when referring to it. Callie spent half her night with Lily going between crying and angry." James said.

Remus buried his face in his hands miserably. How could he be so stupid?

"What do I do?" He groaned.

"Talk to her. Apologize. Kiss her again when you're sure she's not going to kill you." James said.

Remus shook his head.

"I shouldn't have kissed her once, I can't do it again. I just…I'll apologize and we'll just...go back to normal." He nodded as he entered the portrait hole.

James, Sirius and Peter glanced over at each other, wondering if he honestly believed that would ever work as they entered the common room.

Remus wasn't expecting Callie to be the first person he saw when he walked in. The two of them locked eyes and Remus's heart leapt into his throat. She wasn't smiling brightly at him like she always did. She looked tired and hurt and he glanced away quickly as Callie grabbed her trunk and brushed passed him into the hall without a word.

Sirius nudged him and James and Peter gave him a shove back into the hallway, nearly knocking him into her.

Callie spun around and backed up a few steps, putting more distance than usual between them as Remus tried to think of something to say. She was glaring holes into him and Remus couldn't even look at her as he spoke.

"I'm sorry." He said dismally.

"For what? Kissing me? Or running away after?" Callie asked, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side.

"Both." He said softly.

Callie nodded, a wry smile on her face.

"Its fine." She said in a tone that made it perfectly clear it was anything but. "It was just a _terrible_ _mistake_. We'll just pretend it never happened, alright?"

She turned to leave and Remus finally looked up, reaching out to stop her. Callie brushed his hand away and continued on without glancing back at him.

"I didn't mean to – to hurt you…"

"I'll get over it."

Remus miserably watched her walk away with a tight aching feeling in his chest.

* * *

 **Its not over yet! Please don't hate me! I've got this whole story mapped out already and Remus and Callie aren't done yet so don't worry too much! Thank you for reading and reviewing and whatnot. And again. Please don't hate me because I love you all!**


	19. Swimming

**So, I may or may not have gone to bed at 7 AM this morning because my sleep schedule is completely upside down now and as I result I can't tell if I'm actually happy with this chapter or just tired, but I've read and revised it more times than I can count so I hope you like it! I still own nothing but the world of regret I'll be feeling when classes start, but hey, are you really in college if you're not tired? -end rambling-**

* * *

James, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Callie all passed their apparition test. Peter was the only one that failed but his friends were more than happy to help him out.

James apparated to a spot he and Lily had decided on where no one would see them that was near both her and Remus's house. When he approached Lily's house she was sitting on her front porch, tears in her eyes and a copy of the Daily Prophet on her lap.

"Hey." She smiled weakly.

James sat down beside her, picking up the newspaper and immediately saw what was wrong. Two muggle families murdered in one night. The dark mark over their houses left no question as to who was responsible.

James wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Lily leaned on him.

"I just want to keep them safe." She choked out the words around her tears. "I feel like just by being here and being what I am I'm putting them in danger. I want to help put an end to this war but…that would just put them in even more danger."

James ran his hand up and down her arm.

"I know." He sighed.

James hated seeing her so upset. He wished he knew how to comfort her but he just didn't know what to say. He tried to assure her they'd be fine but the truth was he just didn't know that for sure. He knew she worried a lot about her family and in a way James understood because he worried just as much about her, though he knew it wasn't the same. Lily was a strong, smart, powerful witch who was very capable of defending herself and her parents were muggles. If anyone came after them there was nothing they could do.

"I think…I think they'd be safer if I didn't come back after schools over." She said softly.

James turned and looked at the heartbroken and determined expression on her face, and wiped away the stray tears on her cheeks.

"What are you going to do?" He asked.

Lily shrugged.

"I'll figure something out. I just feel like if I'm going to be a part of this I can't be close to them. I don't want to leave them but I can't put my family in danger."

James nodded. He knew that not being a part of this war was never an option for either of them, and he loved her too much to ever let her go through any of this on her own. If they were going into this war they'd go into it side by side.

"You know I'm right here with you no matter what."

Lily turned to him and smiled, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I know."

Lately James had been her biggest source of comfort and his support meant more to her than she ever dreamed. She knew her family wouldn't understand why she distanced herself from them, and it was probably best that way. It would hurt everyone but if she told them the truth they'd want her to stay and if they asked she might be too tempted to listen.

She wrapped her arm around James and held her boyfriend tightly.

"I just want to enjoy things while we can."

James nodded in agreement and the two of them sat together silently for a while when Callie came walking up the street.

"You ready to go?" She asked.

Lily nodded and got to her feet.

Callie had spent the first week of summer sulking over Remus. Since he didn't seem willing to do anything to fix the situation just yet Lily thought her best option was distraction, so she dragged Callie out to try out for a play.

It wasn't Callie's first, she'd always secretly loved acting and this was how she had spent most of her summers in the past, so when Lily saw that there were try outs for Romeo and Juliet it seemed perfect. Unfortunately, Callie had only agreed to do this if Lily tried out too so now the two of them were heading out to the theater to see if either of them got a part.

"We'll meet up with you after?" James asked.

"Sounds great." Lily kissed James goodbye and got into her father's car with Callie.

Callie knew that the "we" they were meeting up with meant Sirius, Peter, and Remus but she was pretending not to care. It was only the second week of summer but Callie hadn't heard from Remus once. Part of her still wished that he would tell her he was wrong and that kissing her wasn't a mistake but she wasn't getting her hopes up and even if he did want to fix this he'd have to try pretty damn hard to get her to forgive him now. She didn't really want to see him just yet but she knew she'd have to sooner or later so she didn't object when Lily said they'd all be getting together that night.

* * *

James, Sirius, and Peter had to all but drag Remus out that afternoon. They waited outside of the theater for the girls, trying to help Remus relax before Callie came out.

"Just…don't run away this time." Peter teased, earning a glare from Remus that quickly faded away as he caught sight of the girls walking toward them.

He had to force himself to look away from Callie, who was smiling as she approached them. Something about her seemed different. She wore denim shorts and a dark red shirt and was waving around what Remus assumed was the script for the play and when he looked back up at her face he realized what the difference was.

That wasn't the smile he was used to. The one that made his heart skip a beat when she looked at him. He felt the same tight ache in his chest as he had when he'd tried to apologize. It stayed with him through the entire train ride home and didn't go away until long after Callie hugged all her friends but him goodbye and walked off with her brother.

She didn't ignore him when she saw him with everyone else, in fact if he hadn't been paying too much attention to everything she did he wouldn't even have noticed the way her smile faltered and her voice tightened like she was losing her breath when she looked at him.

"How did it go?" James asked, putting an arm around Lily's waist.

"Well somehow, despite never having done anything like this before in my life, I got the part of Lady Capulet!" Lily said enthusiastically. "That's Juliet's mother, by the way." She added. Since Hogwarts didn't exactly offer classes on muggle literature Shakespeare wasn't something the boys were familiar with.

Despite her initial reluctance Lily was actually really excited now.

"What about you?" Sirius asked Callie, who grinned.

"Say hello to Juliet!" She said, throwing her arms out dramatically.

"Hello Juliet." Said a voice from behind her.

Callie spun around, startled, and saw a boy smirking at her. He was tall, with light brown hair and green eyes and while he wasn't exactly large she could see that he was fairly muscular and _devastatingly_ attractive.

Callie's eyes went wide and her mouth fell open for a second, then she smiled at him, seeming to be at a loss for words.

"I'm Henry. But, I guess you'll be calling me Romeo. I wanted to introduce myself before rehearsal tomorrow." He smiled brightly at her, holding out his hand.

"Oh! Of course. I'm Callie, it's so nice to meet you." She smiled, shaking his hand.

"You too. So, do you have a boyfriend that's going to want to kick my ass after this is over, because-"

He glanced up at the three boys behind her for a second and Callie laughed and shook her head.

"Oh, no! No, these guys are just really good friends." She assured him with a wave of her hand, not glancing away from him. "And this is Lily. She'll be your mother in law."

Lily flashed him a friendly smile and shook Henry's outstretched hand.

"Great, I was a little worried for a second." He chuckled. "I guess I'll be seeing you both tomorrow."

"Yeah." Callie said, somewhat dreamily.

"Nice meeting you." Lily waved as he walked away.

"You too. See you soon, Juliet."

"Bye Romeo." Callie smirked, watching him walk away with a dreamy look in her eyes.

It certainly wouldn't be hard to pretend to be _his_ lover.

"Callie?" Lily grabbed her shoulder and shook her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Callie spun around to look at her friends, still smiling distractedly.

"He seemed nice." She nodded.

"Yeah, real nice." Sirius rolled his eyes, glancing warily at Remus.

He was smiling but it was clearly forced. Remus was trying to tell himself that it was just a play and Henry was not flirting with her. He was asking if she had a boyfriend because he didn't want to make things awkward, not because he was hoping she was single. And she _was_ single, so even if he was flirting with her Remus had no right to be upset about it.

And no right to be upset about the dreamy expression on her face when she looked at him.

And no right to be jealous that they were going to spend the next few months playing star crossed lovers.

* * *

Lily came home from rehearsal a few days later to find James waiting for her. She stopped in the doorway to her living room and smiled, listening as he excitedly tried to explain quidditch to her father.

"So you're a…a chaser?" Her father asked.

"Yes." James nodded, grinning.

"A pretty good one too." Lily smiled, sitting down beside him and greeting him with a kiss.

The three of them continued talking about quidditch for a little while longer and Lily couldn't help the smile on her face or the light feeling in her stomach. She had initially been worried about how her pureblood boyfriend and her muggle parents would get along but her mom and dad seemed to adore him and James fit in with her family better than she ever expected.

When her father left to help her mother with dinner James and Lily went up to her bedroom.

"So, how was rehearsal?" He asked.

"It was good. Still early but I think it's going well." She nodded.

"And how was…" James waved his hands in front of them and Lily's smile faded a little.

"Well, Henry is _definitely_ flirting with her." She said.

She knew Callie was still hung up on Remus much more than she'd ever admit. They had a fun time hanging out a few days ago and Lily thought for a second that everything was okay between them until the boys left and Callie burst into tears. James later told her that Remus spent the night miserable as well and they knew this would be harder to deal with than they thought.

"And she's certainly not turning him down. But I _know_ she still has deep feelings for Remus. If he'd just say something to her…"

James shook his head.

"I've tried, he won't even consider talking to her about it."

"I don't understand him." Lily sighed.

The two of them sat down on Lily's bed and James kissed her lightly.

"Let's talk about this later, okay?" he asked.

Lily nodded and deepened the kiss, then stopped as James tried to pull her on top of him.

"Let's go somewhere." She said grinning mischievously.

She hopped off the bed and grabbed a spare blanket, nodding for James to follow her.

"Wha- okay…"

James got up and Lily led him outside.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"You'll see."

He followed Lily down the street, to the playground, and into the woods.

"Lil?"

"Shhhh." Lily waved her hand at him as the two of them walked through the woods until they reached the edge of a river.

"It's been pretty hot out lately." She said, laying out the blanket. "So I thought we could go swimming."

"But, I don't have anything to wear." James shook his head.

"Me either." Lily shrugged.

She turned to James, the same mischievous look on her face and pulled her shirt off over her head.

"What if someone comes by?"

"They won't." Lily assured him. "I've been coming here for years and never seen anyone. There's only one other person who knows about this place and he won't be coming by any time soon."

James was fairly certain she was talking about Snape and he decided that on the off chance that he did come by he would hex his eyes out of his head.

Lily removed her bra and dropped it beside her shirt and James forgot his worries as she slid off the rest of her clothes. For a long while he just stared at her, taking in the sight in front of him with a small smile and a dazed expression. Lily looked over at him shyly for a second.

"James? Are you coming?" She asked, gesturing to the water.

James nodded rapidly and quickly shed all of his clothes as well. Lily was the first to jump into the water, followed closely by James.

"So, do you always swim like this?" He asked with a smirk.

"First time." Lily said, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him deeply.

James returned the kiss, his hands roaming all over her body. They stayed like that, tangled around each other until they both felt like they were going to lose their minds and Lily pulled his body against hers and moved her mouth down his neck.

"Lil?" He breathed.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to…?"

He nodded his head toward the blanket that was lying on the ground and Lily nodded back. James took her hand and led her out of the water. The two of them lied down and James hesitated.

"You know I've never done this before." He said.

"Neither have I."

"Are you sure you want to?"

"Positive. If you do." She said, looking him in the eye.

James nodded and got on top of her, trailing kisses across her chest. Lily pressed her hips up against him again, digging her fingers into his back.

"Lily?" He said tentatively, looking down at her.

"Yes?" She said breathlessly.

James looked her in the eye with a serious expression that made Lily worry for a second. Was she taking things too far?

"I love you."

He'd been waiting for the perfect time to say that and this felt like it. He didn't want to do this with her until after at least one of them had said it, and though he told himself he'd be okay with it if she wasn't ready to say it back he still waited anxiously for her response. Lily's eyes went wide for a second, and for a second she just stared at him then she grinned and pulled him down to kiss him over and over.

"I love you too." She said, still holding him close.


	20. Baby, You're a Force of Nature

**As always, thanks for reading/faving/reviewing! And thank you again AngelinaMarieA! Your reviews are always wonderful! I still don't own anything, and I also used the song Force of Nature by Bea Miller in this chapter. MsChanify left a comment a few chapters ago about the song its based on, and I'm not sure if its the same one you were listening to but this is the one I've named it after. Still own nothing and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Callie looked up to Amelia growing up. She absolutely idolized her sister but the more she thought about it the less she could see why. Amelia had always done whatever it took to please her parents no matter who it hurt or how much, and usually it hurt Jet and Callie

She always kept in touch with her little sister though, especially when she needed something from her parents, but still, Callie always _thought_ her sister cared about her.

Now she felt like she was crazy to ever think she mattered to anyone in her family except Jet. She was obviously very easy to forget when she wasn't doing what Amelia or her parents wanted. They hadn't tried to contact her in months, though Callie had heard from a few people that they were doing _great_.

She sat on her bed, flipping through a family photo album from her childhood. She opened the book to a picture of her as a toddler asleep on the couch with Amelia smiling beside her. Her sister was smiling down at her lovingly. Callie slammed the book shut and threw it across the room. Pictures flew everywhere and Callie kicked them aside as she grabbed her things and left for rehearsal. A few weeks had gone by and she was really enjoying her summer, when she didn't think about her family or Remus.

Henry was definitely interested in her and, even though he hadn't asked her out, at least he never left her guessing how he felt. She occasionally had to scramble to explain some muggle thing she didn't understand, or some magical thing she accidentally brought up but, since Sarah kept a just as much of her house muggle as she did magical she was starting to get the hang of it. She'd even learned to use the phone to call Henry and Lily a few times.

And Henry was incredibly good looking and very nice, and sweet and funny and Callie really _wanted_ to like him, sometimes she thought she did, but she just couldn't stop thinking about Remus. She felt pathetic being so hopelessly stuck on someone who she'd only kissed once, someone who'd made it perfectly clear he had no interest in her, but she couldn't make herself stop.

She sat beside Henry, watching Lily and a few others rehearse a scene that neither of them were in when Henry leaned over and whispered to her,

"So, Callie, I was just wondering…what are you doing after rehearsal?" He asked, seeming nervous.

"Um…nothing, why?"

"Well, I was wondering if maybe you would like to go out and do something with me?" Callie turned to look at him curiously. "Like a date."

Callie thought for a moment. She'd never been on a date with a muggle before. But at least she knew he wouldn't hex her, or try to get her to join a dark wizard's cause. She hadn't been on a date since Hunter last winter and it certainly didn't seem like anything more was going to happen between her and Remus.

"Sure." Callie smiled and Henry relaxed a bit.

Maybe she didn't need to feel the same way about him as she did about Remus right _now_. She'd known Remus for much longer, it was only natural for her feelings to be stronger, right? She was sure she could grow to like Henry like that too if she gave him a chance. Hopefully then she wouldn't feel the dull ache that had been in the pit of her stomach since he kissed her.

When she left rehearsal she was surprised to find all the Marauders waiting outside. It wasn't unusual for James to be waiting for Lily, but Sirius, Remus, and Peter weren't usually there.

She had hung out with Remus on several occasions over the summer but never alone and it was never quite the same between them, but sometimes she felt like things were getting better. The boys called her and Lily over and she gestured for Henry to wait for her while she talked to them.

Lily immediately went to James and wrapped her arms around him, greeting him with a kiss.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked, looking at the other three boys.

"We were bored so we thought we'd steal you ladies for the night and see what kind of trouble we can get into. You in?" Sirius asked.

"Oh." Callie visibly deflated, looking anywhere but at Remus, who she was suddenly hyper-aware of. "I actually can't tonight. I – I've got a…" She hesitated for a moment, glancing over at Henry and firmly reminding herself that she didn't need to feel awkward or guilty. If Remus wanted her he could have had her at any time. "I've got a date. Sorry guys. I'll see you later though."

She smiled apologetically and waved goodbye before turning and walking back over to Henry. Behind her Remus stood frozen, watching him put his arm around her shoulder and walk off towards his car without a glance in his direction. He felt the same familiar feeling he had when Callie went out with Hunter but he tried to ignore it.

"So," Peter said, trying to break the tension. "What should we do?"

Remus looked around and realized that all his friends were staring at him.

"What?" He asked, looking around and forcing a smile.

* * *

Callie truly did enjoy her date with Henry. He took her out to dinner, bought her flowers, and the two of them went on a long walk together so that they could talk. When he brought her back to her house Henry walked her to her front door, talking about rehearsal to prolong their time together.

When an awkward silence fell over them Callie knew what was coming but she couldn't bring herself to be excited as Henry leaned down and kissed her.

He wasn't a bad kisser, and it wasn't a bad kiss. She did enjoy it on some level, she just didn't feel anything except a pair of very nice lips on hers. There were no butterflies, no sparks, she wasn't breathless when he pulled back. She didn't feel the overwhelming urge to kiss him again, and when she looked up into his green eyes all she could see was that they weren't Remus's.

"I had a great time tonight." She said truthfully.

"Me too. Would you like to do this again this Friday?"

Callie nodded and Henry smiled, giving her one last kiss before they said goodnight. She watched him get back in his car and leave before walking into the house.

"You're back later than I expected." Jet said from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I had a date with _Romeo_."

"Oh? How did that go?" Sarah asked.

Callie shrugged, laying her flowers down on the counter. Last summer it probably would have been perfect. She would have come home gushing about what a great time she had and how cute Henry was and showing off the flowers he gave her but something about this just seemed dull.

"It was nice." She sighed.

"But?" Sarah asked.

She took the flowers and put them in a vase before turning with a knowing look to her sister in law.

"But nothing. It was nice. Just…" Callie bit her lip, thinking back to the way she felt kissing Remus. "I don't know. I think I'm going to call Lily."

It was only around seven o'clock so she wasn't entirely sure Lily would be home but she answered and told her that the Marauders were all at her house and she should stop by so Callie apparated to Lily's. She and the boys were all sitting in the back yard when Callie arrived.

"So, how was your date?" Peter asked, earning an elbow to the side from James, who subtly nodded toward Remus.

"It was great." She said.

Remus forced himself to smile as if he was happy for her and it was believable enough to make Callie wonder why he would have kissed her like that if he clearly couldn't care less.

"He bought me flowers and took me out to dinner." She added with a smile. "And we're going out again this Friday."

She looked over at Remus, who still wore the same forced smile, but she thought she saw it weaken just a little bit. He felt as if she'd just tried to slap it off his face, but he wasn't going to show _her_ that.

"That's nice." Lily said lightly.

Remus was, at the very least, beyond the point of pretending he didn't care when Callie _wasn't_ around, so of course he'd asked Lily what Henry was like. She'd begrudgingly told him that, while she tried hard not to like him, he was actually a very nice, funny guy and he seemed to genuinely like Callie. She was pretty sure that under different circumstances they would all really like him.

"So, what are you guys up to?" Callie asked.

"We were talking about Patronuses." James said excitedly. "Wondering what ours would be."

"Why don't we find out?" Callie asked. "We're all of age now. Lily's yard is fenced in, no muggles can see. Why not?"

Of course the boys were all too eager to try, so they all stood side by side, thinking of their happiest memories and trying to conjure the spell.

James, Lily, and Sirius managed to get a few wisps on a couple occasions but that was it. By the end of the night none of them had accomplished much more but each of them went home and practiced on their own.

* * *

Callie's second date with Henry went well, though she still couldn't get Remus out of her head. He at least helped her forget Amelia and her parents for a little bit. Her photo album was shoved in a corner where she couldn't see it.

Rehearsals were going well and Callie went on a third and fourth date with Henry before they decided to make their relationship official. She was starting to get a few faint white wisps when she tried the Patronus charm and things between her and Remus felt a little less tense.

The six of them made plans to see a movie after Lily and Callie finished rehearsal one day, since Callie, James, Sirius, and Peter had never been to a movie before. It was the night of the full moon, so they'd planned to go early and have Remus and the rest of the boys leave long before it got dark out.

"Why don't you bring Henry?" Remus asked, instantly kicking himself.

He wasn't even sure why he suggested it, except out of a stubborn desire to convince Callie and their friends (and himself) that he was okay with her new relationship. Callie did seem really genuinely happy with him. He was good to her, and if they were going to be in a relationship he should meet her friends, right?

Callie left rehearsal to find the Marauders waiting outside again and this time she brought Henry over to greet them.

"Guys, this is Henry." She gestured to the boy with her arm around her. "And this is James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus." She looked at everyone but Remus as she introduced them, but no one except him seemed to notice.

Henry smiled and shook hands with all her friends.

"It's great to meet you, Callie talks about you guys all the time."

Henry did seem genuinely excited and Remus looked paler than usual.

"Are you sure you're up for this, mate?" James asked. "You don't look so good."

"Yeah, maybe you should rest." Callie suggested.

She seriously underestimated the way it would feel to be with Remus and Henry at the same time. She felt tense and jittery and like there were snakes in the pit of her stomach.

"No, I'm fine." He assured them.

As much as he hated seeing Callie with Henry some stubborn drive to prove something made him stay. The seven of them all squeezed into Lily's father's car. Lily driving with James and Sirius in the front and Callie ended up awkwardly squeezed between Henry and Remus, Peter stuck up against the door. Callie leaned closer to Henry, trying not to touch Remus, though that was hopeless. The four of them were shoulder to shoulder.

"So, are you guys all coming to the play in a couple weeks?" Lily asked.

"Well of course I'll be there." James said, kissing Lily on the cheek.

Remus turned to look at Callie and smiled and she desperately hoped that he and Henry would blame the heat for how red her cheeks were turning as he spoke.

"I wouldn't miss it."

There was a moment of silence before Sirius cleared his throat.

"I dunno, I'm not really into romance." He joked.

"It's not really a romance." Callie said matter-of-factly.

"It's not?" Peter asked.

"Oh no, people take it that way, but really it's about two kids who move too far too fast. They get married without even knowing each other for twelve hours and literally all their problems could have been solved if they slowed down and thought, instead of being impulsive." Callie rambled, then blushed again. "Sorry, I really like Shakespeare."

"And that's one of the many reasons I love you." Henry said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. He said it so casually no one was really certain they'd heard him right, and the look on Callie's face told them all this was news to her.

"I can relate to that." Remus said and everyone but Henry snapped around to look at him. "Being impulsive." He added, looking at Callie.

"Yeah. I've noticed." She snapped.

 _What the hell is up with him?_ Callie wondered, looking at Remus out of the corner of her eye. They both knew he wasn't being fair. After a month of not even acknowledging their kiss he wanted to pull this? _Well, you're not the only one who can play like that._

Lily quickly turned on the radio to silence the tension in the car.

"I listen to this song all the time." Callie said.

Lily turned it up and Callie silently mouthed along, looking toward Remus.

 _"_ _I tried to tie my heart down, board up all the windows_

 _Oh, but it's too late now_

 ** _I let you get too close_**

 _I know I should take cover, hide inside these four walls,_

 _But baby I surrender it all."_

Remus's heart thudded harder than ever against his ribcage. He must have been imagining the way she was looking at him. This song couldn't be for him.

 _"_ _'Cause you're a force of nature,_

 _Look at what you've done._

 _I can taste the danger, but I don't wanna run_

 _So pull me to the ground and I won't put up a fight_

 _I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature."_

No, she was definitely looking him dead in the eye, the same way she used to before they'd kissed. The same look that made him wonder if maybe she did feel something for him. Her mouth quirked up in a small smirk and Remus opened his mouth as if he was about to speak, but stopped himself.

 _"_ _I feel your lips moving and they take me under_

 _You know just what to do, how to make me want you_

 ** _And I know I'll be broken when it's over_**

 _Oh, but I can't help but pull you closer."_

Remus glanced up at Henry but his head was tilted back and he didn't seem to notice anything strange. Was he imagining things? Misinterpreting them? No, he was certain he understood the look Callie was giving him.

 _"_ _I'll be here 'till we collide_

 _I don't care if I survive_

 _So crash into me one more time."_

Remus suddenly turned away, looking out the window at the houses at they flew by and trying to catch his breath.

Callie smiled to herself. She'd finally gotten _something_ out of him. Some acknowledgment that something had happened between them and that at one point or another he actually had cared about it.

"Sounds like you, sweetie." Henry said.

"Hm?" Callie finally turned to him.

"You're a force of nature."

"You have no idea." Remus muttered quietly.


	21. The Patronus

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading/reviewing! I still own nothing and I'm also totally aware that A New Hope came out a few years before this but it was the best movie I could think of from the 70's.**

* * *

The seven of them saw Star Wars: A New Hope in theaters and absolutely loved it. Henry thought Callie, James, Sirius, and Peter's enthusiasm was funny, not realizing they'd never seen a movie before.

The song in the car managed to put an end to Remus's comments and looks and Callie found that it was much easier to be around them both in a quite dark room where no one could talk.

When it was over the Marauders all made an excuse to leave so Remus could get away before it got dark and Callie tried to distract herself from thinking about the car ride or worrying about Remus and the full moon by instead thinking over what Henry had said in the car.

Did he really love her? He'd said it like it was nothing, he couldn't have meant anything serious by it, right?

She knew things would get complicated when she went back to school. How could she stay in touch when her mail was delivered by owls? She was trying to think of a way to make that work when she realized Henry was talking to her.

"So, my parents would really like to meet you. My sister too." He said. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?"

"I'd love too." Callie smiled.

She instantly regretted it. When she agreed to go out with him she hadn't considered how far the relationship might go. If she couldn't find a way to keep in touch from school she'd have to break up with him, and she wanted to make it hurt as little as possible. Henry had been nothing but sweet and caring to her and she already felt terrible lying to him.

Henry's house was pretty average for a muggle home, though Callie hadn't been in many. His parents seemed nice, and there was no awkward conversation with his father when she walked in and she thought that maybe Mr. Lupin had been right for the wrong reasons.

She sat beside Henry in his living room when a tall girl with long brown hair and a narrow face came running into the room.

The two girls stared at each other for a moment when Henry spoke.

"Callie, this is my sister, Jenna. Jenna, this is my girlfriend Callie."

" _She_ is your girlfriend?" Jenna pointed to the girl on her couch.

They were all silent for a second, Henry not quite sure how to take his sisters comment, when the two girls broke out laughing so hard Jenna had to sit down because she couldn't stay upright and Callie had tears streaming down her face.

Henry looked bewildered between the two of them as they tried to catch their breath long enough to explain.

"That- w-we go... We go..." Callie broke out laughing again and couldn't finish, holding her sides.

"We go to school together!" Jenna finally coughed out.

His sister was a muggleborn Ravenclaw girl from the year below her.

Henry's eyes went wide and he looked at his girlfriend.

"You mean you're a-"

"A witch. " Callie nodded, catching her breath and wiping tears from her face.

"Your girlfriend tutored me for my transfiguration O.W.L. " Jenna said.

"How'd you do?"

"I got an O, thank you very much." Jenna smiled.

"You're a witch?" Henry repeated.

"Er- yeah. I'm sorry, I hated lying to you, I just...we're not supposed to tell muggles what we are." Henry nodded, understanding but still shocked. "I hope you're not upset."

Henry shook his head.

"No, I'm not upset, just...surprised." Henry smiled at her.

"This is such a relief, I've been going crazy trying to figure out a way to keep in touch from school that didn't include owls." Callie shook her head.

She knew she was lying but she wanted to convince herself she was relieved that she didn't have to end their relationship when school started. The three of them talked through dinner, Henry asking question after question about school, and after they went back to the living room.

At the very least it was really a relief to not have to keep up any lies.

"It must be great to be old enough to use magic outside of school." Jenna said wistfully.

"It really is. I completely underestimated how much easier it would make things. I've been trying to learn how to cast a Patronus all summer."

Jenna's eyes went wide.

"Really? Have you gotten anything?"

"A little, but I nothing solid yet." Callie said.

"What's a Patronus?" Henry asked.

"It's a really strong protective charm. Like a physical version of your happiness." Callie explained.

"They're supposed to be really hard to produce. Can you show me what you've done?" Jenna asked.

Callie nodded and took out her wand, excited to be able to do magic in front of Henry.

She took a second to find a happy memory. Lately she'd tried thinking of Henry, and doing that was how she produced the small wisps of light. But for some reason this time she remembered the way she felt when she woke up beside Remus on Christmas Eve.

"Expecto Patronum." She waved her wand and then nearly dropped it. Her eyes just about popped out of her head and her free hand flew to cover her mouth as a large wolf ran across the room and disappeared.

Henry was grinning like it was the coolest thing ever, not fully understanding the weight of what had just happened but Jenna looked just as shocked as Callie.

"I - I've never done that before. I-it's never been so...strong." She dropped back down onto the couch, feeling oddly numb.

"That was incredible!" Jenna exclaimed. "Some wizards can never produce a patronus!"

Callie was still staring at the spot where the wolf had disappeared.

A wolf.

Her patronus was a wolf.

She tried frantically to think of any other reason her patronus would be a wolf but she'd never felt any particular connection to them. All she could think of was Remus.

"Can you show me to do that when school starts?" Jenna asked.

"Huh?" Callie shook off the shock. "Yeah. I mean, I'll try that was...I've never done that before." She repeated, chuckling. "All I could ever get was a little bit of light."

Callie was only half there the rest of the night with Henry and Jenna. All she could think of was that stupid wolf and the boy she knew it represented. She wished she'd never said anything. She felt a pang of guilt as she looked at her boyfriend. If her Patronus had to represent someone who wasn't her it should be him, not someone she'd kissed once by accident. This wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She was sure she could feel that way about Henry if she just forgot about Remus.

She had to fix this.

When Jenna left her and Henry alone the two of them retreated to his bedroom.

Callie sat beside Henry on his bed and tried not to look guilty as she smiled at him. Henry leaned over and kissed her.

"I meant it you know." Henry said, barely pulling his lips from hers.

Callie looked at him questioningly.

"When I told you I loved you. I was so scared because it just slipped out, but I do. I love you, and it's okay if you're not ready to say it back. I just wanted you to know."

Callie looked at him for a second, not sure what to do. He looked so genuine and so caring and it just made her feel even worse. She did care very deeply about him. She could grow to love him, she was sure of it. She leaned forward and kissed him deeply, wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself onto his lap, grinding into him.

Callie pulled off his shirt, trailing kisses down his chest. Henry removed her shirt and bra without thinking and pulled her back to kiss her lips again. Callie pulled away to reach down and started pulling his pants off.

"Callie, are you sure?" Henry paused.

Callie nodded. They'd gone pretty far, but nor all the way yet. It was already established that Callie had never had sex and Henry had and Henry was more than willing to take things only at her pace. He hadn't once pushed her or made her feel pressured into anything but he certainly had no objections as they removed the rest of each other's clothes.

Callie lied down on Henry's bed and pulled him on top of her.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" He asked.

Callie nodded.

"Yes. Absolutely."

Henry kissed her one more time and then pushed himself inside of her. Callie squeezed her eyes shut and hissed in pain but it only hurt a little and only at first, then it felt perfect. For a while she was able to completely forget everything except Henry and everything felt right.

* * *

Lily always worried about James and their friends during the full moon.

A small part of her wanted him to stay but she'd never ask him to. She knew these nights were hard on Remus and the last thing she would ever want was to make it even worse, especially now. James would be safe as an animagus, he always had been, and the boys seemed to enjoy these nights so Lily tried not to dwell on what could go wrong too much. They were away from any people, James and Sirius were big enough to keep Remus under control, and as long as none of them changed back they'd be fine.

She curled up in her bed, listening to the muffled voice of her sister on the phone with Vernon in the next room and thought about whether or not she should come home for Christmas this year.

She loved her time with her family but lately she'd been so scared of endangering them she almost considered running away. She assured herself over and over that they were fine for now. She was still in school and hadn't done anything to make herself known to Voldemort and his followers and for now they were only attacking people who openly defied them so they were safe.

Until she finished school and began fighting against him.

She was certain that she wanted to move out as soon as this school year ended. She'd find some excuse that her parents couldn't get upset about and tell them over Easter. She'd always known she'd have to move out some day, of course, but it broke her heard to have to do it under these circumstances.

Sometimes she worried about the Potters too. James' parents were very open about their views against Lord Voldemort and his followers and not even being a pureblood family could keep them safe forever. Still, it did make her feel a little better to know that James would be fighting this battle no matter what. She didn't want to drag him into anything.

Her mind wandered to her former best friend. Severus was a half blood. He could have easily chosen either side and for a while Lily was almost certain he'd choose hers in the end. Until he called her a mudblood.

She felt foolish, she'd always known he was far too interested in the dark arts and she knew the people he was friends with and heard the things they all said, but could he really choose Voldemort? She knew there was good in him, or at least there had been when she was friends with him. Could he really have been her friend for so long if he was siding with the ones who didn't think people like her deserved to live?

Lately she'd be wondering more and more what would happen if they ever crossed paths on opposite sides of this war in the real world. Would he hurt her? She couldn't imagine it, and she certainly didn't ever think she'd be able to bring herself to hurt him.

Lily briefly considered going to his house and talking to him, she knew he'd probably still be awake but, other than the day she and James had literally ran into him in the halls at school they hadn't spoken in over a year, and he certainly didn't seem interested in talking to her then. Maybe he really did look down on muggleborns.

The thought hurt a lot more than she expected. They'd been best friends since they were kids, she'd always stood up for him and defended him when her friends criticized him, and he still called her the worst thing he could think of.

She didn't want to think too much about him until she had to so instead she shut off the light and tried to fall asleep.


	22. Isn't That Funny?

**I still own nothing, and love everyone who reads/reviews and Lily's little rant is dedicated to AngelinaMarieA for all the great comments!**

* * *

After being caught up in the play and their relationships over the summer Lily and Callie decided to plan a girl's day for the two of them while all the boys were resting after the full moon. They had fun spending the day at Lily's house, forgetting their worries and problems until Lily mentioned Henry.

Callie sat on her best friends bed with her legs crossed in front of her, staring down at the comforter silently until Lily nudged her.

"Callie? Are you alright?" She asked, frowning.

"No." Callie said quietly. "I messed up." A few tears slipped down her cheek and Lily put her arm around her.

"What happened?"

She explained to Lily about dinner at Henry's and how his sister went to school with them.

"But that's great! I thought you hated keeping secrets."

"I did. That's not the mistake. We...I told Jenna I was trying to learn to cast a Patronus and she wanted to see."

"And?"

Callie pulled herself together long enough to cast the charm and send the wolf running around Lily's bedroom before the happy feeling left her and she burst into tears.

"A wolf." Lily said, understanding why she was so upset.

"I really, truly thought I could make myself love Henry." She cried. "And I...we...last night..." She took a deep breath and steadied herself a little.

"I slept with him last night." She said, not meeting Lily's eyes. "And when it was happening it was wonderful but now I just feel like it was a huge mistake. He told me he loved me and I just couldn't say anything. I thought if I did this I could forget Remus and make myself love Henry but I just made everything worse. I'm a terrible person." She burst into tears again. "I just wanted to feel the same way he feels about me. I wanted to make him happy and stop hurting but I'm just awful."

"No you're not." Lily assured her. "You care about Henry. It's not awful to want to return his feelings so you don't hurt him. You just went about it the wrong way. You can't force yourself to love someone."

"I'm in love with Remus." Callie said, crying into Lily's shoulder. "I love him and he couldn't care less."

Lily sat and comforted her crying friend. She'd had a feeling something like this was coming. Callie had been pretending there was nothing between her and Remus since she started dating Henry but everyone could feel the tension.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much Lily or Callie could do. Remus was the one who had to say something and he'd already made it perfectly clear to his very annoyed friends that he'd rather bury his head in the sand.

Lily, however, had always been protective of her friends and she was sick of seeing Callie so upset.

* * *

Remus knew Lily intentionally told him she was going to be spending the day with Callie. He felt terrible as always after the full moon but he wanted to see her and maybe apologize for the day before so he grabbed a book Lily had let him borrow and headed over to her house to return it.

Her sister opened the door and told him the two girls were up in Lily's room, looking disapprovingly at him. Remus just nodded politely and thanked her on his way up the stairs.

He could hear Callie laughing as he approached the door and he strained to her what she was saying.

"I slept with him last night."

Without thinking Remus spun around and ran down the stairs as fast as his aching legs would allow, leaving the book on a table in the hall before he left.

 _Great_ , he thought. While he was clawing at his own skin Callie was clawing at Henry's. He'd known all summer that he was lying to himself if he ever thought things could go back to normal between them. How could he be friends with her if just sitting beside her made him feel like his chest was caving in? He couldn't stop himself from saying all those stupid things yesterday. Part of him wanted Henry to know that there was something deeper between the two of them, but he knew that was selfish.

He never should have let his feelings go this far. He'd clearly misinterpreted things yesterday. Callie was in love with Henry. She was happy with Henry. And that was good. She wouldn't be happy with Remus. Werewolves weren't meant to fall in love and have happy endings anyway. He'd made his mistakes and now he had to deal with them so he dragged himself home and collapsed into his bed, flicking his wand at the radio across the room to drown out his thoughts.

 _"_ _I'm a caution taker, but baby you're a force of nature."_

He groaned loudly and shut the radio off, burying his face in his pillow and falling asleep.

He wasn't sure how long it had been before he was woken up by Lily shaking him. She was looking at him with the expression she usually only used on James before they became friends but she didn't say anything, just glared daggers Remus.

"Lily? Whats wrong?"

She took a deep breath.

"I'm _trying_ to figure out what I want to be mad at you for first!"

"What did I do?!" Remus asked, sitting up.

"You were at my house when Callie was there." She said, dropping the book on his bed.

"Er- yeah. Sounded like you two were talking. I didn't want to bother you." He lied.

"What did you hear?" She asked.

"Nothing..." Remus lied unconvincingly. Lily just crossed her arms and gave him a look that could rival Professor McGonagall.

"I - I heard her say that she slept with Henry last night." He admitted.

Lily waited but he didn't say anything else.

"And that's it? That's all you heard?" Lily asked.

Remus nodded gloomily.

Lily grabbed a pillow off of his bed and started hitting him with it over and over.

"You. Absolute. Fucking. IDIOT!" She yelled.

Remus ducked and covered his head with his arms, trying to shield himself from the pillow Lily was pummeling him with.

"Ow! Hey – stop it!"

"Of all the things you could have heard _that_ was it? You _idiot_!" She shrieked, throwing the pillow at him.

"Forgive me if I didn't want to hang around to hear how happy she is with him." He hissed.

" _Happy_? What in the hell could have possibly given you the idea that she was _happy_? She's been miserable all summer! I just sat with her while she cried for over an hour! She only went out with him because she thought she could forget about _you_! And she couldn't by the way! Then you had to act like an absolute ass yesterday after months of pretending you didn't care and now she's confused _and_ upset!"

Lily glared at him, red faced and breathing heavily, while Remus just shook his head.

"But…but she…she seemed like she was happy." Remus said, trying to find some way to prove Lily wrong.

"Neither of you are happy! Remus, you need to get rid of this ridiculous idea that anyone cares that you're a werewolf. We all love you no matter what and the idea that you shouldn't be in a relationship because of it is _stupid_."

"But-"

"No. No buts. She _doesn't_ _care_. And she misses you." Lily said, sitting down beside him.

"I miss her too." He sighed sadly.

He hated the full moon more than ever now knowing that she wouldn't be waiting for him the next morning. He hadn't realized how close they were until they weren't anymore. He wanted her back more than anything but whenever he considered the possibilities he thought of what life would be like for him after school and he couldn't drag her down like that.

"Its better like this." He insisted, though even he was starting to seem less certain. "She said she'd get over it. She will."

Lily sighed and got to her feet, shaking her head and going to his door to leave before deciding to add in one final thought she'd been hesitant to tell him about.

"She cast a patronus by the way." Lily said simply. "I saw it. A wolf. Isn't that funny?"


	23. Amelia

**I told myself I'd be in bed hours ago but obviously I'm not so enjoy! Still own nothing. Still eternally grateful for your reads/reviews and whatnot.**

* * *

Remus searched through any book he could find with even a paragraph about what makes a Patronus take the form that it does, hoping that maybe the wolf was just a random coincidence. What he learned was that they reflected something about the casters personality, however the form it took could also represent "eternal, unchanging love."

Was Callie in love with him? As far as personality goes a wolf would be the last thing he'd expect from her. They could also represent "emotional upheaval" and she certainly had been through an emotional several months but still, a wolf? He almost felt a little full of himself to assume it had anything to do with him, but he couldn't see any other reason, and Lily certainly seemed to think he was the reason.

He tried a few times to cast one himself but he couldn't get anything solid. He couldn't stop thinking about Callie and even his happiest memories with her made him sad lately. All he could think about was her and Henry and it was driving him crazy.

In a few hours he'd have to go and watch her in a play with this talented, charming, good looking guy who adored her and, from what he had seen and heard, showed her every chance he got. Normally he would be happy for his friend to be with someone who treated her like that but now he just felt sick to his stomach.

He grabbed his school trunk and dug through it until he found the gift she'd given him for Christmas. At first he took out his wand to tap the corner but he stopped himself, instead he just sat with the blank canvas on his lap, running his finger up and down the edge of the frame.

He didn't know that Callie was sitting at Henry's house, thinking of the exact same thing as him when Henry's sister Jenna ran into the room living room with a book in her hand.

"Look at this, Callie! I was doing some research on the Patronus charm." She opened the book and began reading;

 _"_ _The vast majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce any form of Patronus, and to create even an intangible one is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability."_

"And you've only been practicing over the summer! That's amazing! It also says that the animal it takes the form of represents something about your personality. I wonder what a wolf means." She wondered.

Callie frowned.

She was pretty sure she knew exactly what the wolf meant, for her anyway but she wouldn't talk about that now, especially not to her boyfriend and his sister. She turned to Henry, who was grinning at her like she was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen and forced a smile.

"What?" She asked, laughing a little.

"I'm just…impressed." He shook his head, looking away from her sheepishly.

Callie's smile was a little more real now as he reached over and squeezed her hand. She had planned to go with Henry and Jenna to meet up with Lily and the Marauders outside the theatre and as they pulled up outside she was a bit anxious and she had a feeling it wasn't just because of the show.

As the three of them caught sight of Lily and the boys waving to them she swallowed her anxiety and put on her most convincing smile.

"Hey guys!" She waved excitedly. And she was excited, for the show at least, so she tried to focus on that. "You know Jenna Singer right? She'd Henry's sister! Isn't that funny?" She asked, gesturing to Jenna who waved shyly and said hello.

"What are the odds?" Remus asked, forcing a smile of his own. He'd been hoping all summer that maybe she'd have no choice but to break up with Henry when they went back to school because there wouldn't be any way for her to talk to him. Obviously that wouldn't be a problem.

"I'm going to go meet up with some friends." Jenna said. "I'll see you guys after the show." She waved and ran off across the street, leaving Callie and Henry standing with Lily and the Marauders and suddenly she'd never felt so separated from her own friends in her entire life.

"Are you excited?" Sirius asked.

Henry nodded and Callie shook her head.

"Merlin, I'm going to do terrible, I just know it!" She said with a nervous chuckle.

"Don't say that, you're the one that's actually done this before!" Lily groaned, burying her face in James's shoulder.

The boys laughed but Remus shook his head.

"I know you'll be amazing." He said, looking at her sincerely.

For a second it felt like last spring when he was one of her closest friends and Callie genuinely smiled back at him.

"Thank you, Remus."

"That's what I've been telling her all day." Henry said lovingly, squeezing her hand and breaking the moment he didn't seem to realize they'd been having. Remus and Callie both glanced away from each other quickly.

"We should get going. We'll see you guys when it's over." Lily said, though she didn't leave until after exchanging a tight hug and a deep kiss with James. Callie turned and waved over her shoulder, glancing nervously back at Remus one last time.

He smiled at her reassuringly and felt that familiar flutter in his chest that he'd been missing all summer when she smiled back at him, looking a little comforted.

The show went perfectly. Whenever they were on stage James didn't take his eyes off of Lily and Remus didn't take his eyes off of Callie.

The only problem Callie had the entire show was their first kiss.

She'd kissed Henry more times than she could count both on and off stage but something about this made her anxious. Was it the audience? Maybe. It wasn't until she was standing in front of him, locking her blue eyes on his green ones that she realized the problem.

Remus was watching, and it was his green eyes she wanted to be looking into.

Somehow she managed both the kiss and the rest of the show without any issues but that thought stuck in the back of her mind all night.

When it was over Remus managed to smile and congratulate Callie, Lily, and _Henry_ on what a great job they'd done.

"See? I told you you'd do great." He said, and he couldn't help giving her a hug.

It was awkward and much quicker than usual but Callie used to hug him all the time and now it had been months.

Henry ran off to find his sister just before Jet and Sarah approached Callie and each gave her their own, infinitely less awkward hugs.

"You were amazing!" Sarah exclaimed, keeping her arm around her shoulder.

Callie thanked them and introduced her brother and sister in law to her friends, Lily being the only one they'd ever met.

She thought she saw the two of them exchange a look as she introduced Remus but she told herself she must have just imagined it. Henry came back, hauling Jenna with him and Callie introduced them as well before Jet and Sarah left. They group had all made plans to go out for dinner after the show weeks ago and Callie had absolutely been dreading it.

By the time they were all done talking to their friends and family about the show the streets were empty and dark but they'd all agreed on a restaurant they could walk to anyway.

Still, something about this night made Callie uneasy.

"Nice show, Moore."

Callie spun around to see Hunter Kelley standing behind her, just a few feet away.

She whipped out her wand and held it defensively in front of her, the rest of the group, with the exception of a confused Henry, doing the same.

"What are you doing here, Kelley?" Remus asked, stepping in front of Callie and keeping a tight grip on his wand.

Hunter shrugged and smiled turning to two other figures they hadn't noticed in the shadows.

Two women. The first was in her early twenties. She had wild, dark, curly hair and an evil smirk as she sauntered toward them.

"Hello cousin." She said venomously, reaching out to Sirius, who swatted her hand away.

"Bellatrix." He spat.

She laughed and walked over to the other girl. She was a bit older and short and slender with short brown hair and the same blue eyes as Callie.

She stared at the woman for a long silent minute, feeling like she couldn't breathe.

"Amelia." She finally choked out.

Her sister smiled and Callie couldn't stop herself from throwing her arms around her. Amelia held her little sister tightly for a while, still keeping her arms around her when they pulled back.

"Whats going on?" Callie asked uneasily, still gripping her wand.

"We're not here to _fight_." Bellatrix said, gesturing to the seven wands raised at them and sounding a little disappointed. "We just wanted a quick word with you. We've heard a lot about you all."

"Have you, now?" James asked, his arm protectively around Lily.

"Oh, yes. All good things, of course." Bellatrix said in a mock friendly voice. "The dark lord is very interested in you. _All_ of you." She smiled, leaning toward Jenna.

Callie pulled away from her sister and stood protectively in front of Henry, pushing him back.

"We're just here to extend an invitation. It's not open until you all finish school but we've heard you all look very promising." Bellatrix said. "Even you two m-" She seemed to hesitate on the final word for a second. " _Muggleborns_." Lily and Jenna both knew what she had been about to call them, of course, but Bella smiled innocently.

"An invitation? To help you torture people and murder innocent families?" Lily said, her voice sounding much stronger than she expected.

Bellatrix let out a loud laugh.

"I assure you, we do much more than that, darling."

"Come home with me." Amelia said, grabbing her sisters hand. "You'll be safe there. Please."

Callie held her sisters hand tightly and jerked her sleeve up, wanting to see for herself what might be there.

Still, she felt a wave of sorrow and revulsion when she saw the dark mark on his sister's arm and shoved her away.

"Never."

"Oh, Sirius," Bella was standing beside him now, stroking his cheek. "I'm sure your mummy and daddy would just _love_ to have you home." She smirked.

Sirius tensed and didn't respond but Callie reached out and took his hand and he squeezed it like his life depended on it. Callie squeezed back, looking at her sister again as Bellatrix shook her head and backed away from her cousin, giving him a look as if he was terribly boring.

"You always were such a disappointment."

Amelia reached out to her sister, but recoiled and this time Sirius squeezed Callie's hand.

"Please Callie. Come with us. You'll be safe, I promise. You'll all be safe if you just join us." Now Amelia was addressing all of them.

" _No_." This time it was Jenna speaking, standing beside Callie to protect her brother, who could only watch, helpless and confused.

"Well," Bella continued. "You don't have to make your decision now. After a few idiots like him the Dark Lord has decided not to take students. But the invitation is open as soon as you're all done." She glared at Hunter.

"Even to half breeds like you, Lupin." Hunter smirked. "The dark lord takes pity on monsters like we-"

Before he could finish the thought Callie released Sirius's hand and punched Hunter square in the jaw, knocking him backwards onto the pavement.

"I'll give you my answer now; I'd rather die." Callie said firmly.

"Stupid little cu-" Hunter reached for his wand but Amelia got to hers first.

"Crucio!" She shrieked excitedly.

Hunter screamed, writhing on the ground and Callie could do nothing but watch. She noticed her sister smirking and had never felt more disgusted as she recalled the agony that wracked her entire body when Hunter did this to her.

"Stop it!" She yelled, finally. "Amelia, please, stop this!"

Amelia dropped her hand and Hunter lay on the ground, looking weakly up at them.

"Why? It's exactly like what he did to you! He's been _bragging_ about it, attacking another pureblood when she couldn't even defend herself." Amelia spat.

Laughing, Bellatrix kicked Hunter in the stomach a few times but he was too weak to do much more than whimper.

"I don't care! I'm not going to use my blood status to hurt people and I'm not going to stand back while innocent people die! Come with _me_ , Amelia, please! I don't want to fight on the opposite side of a war with my own sister. Please don't make me."

Amelia just smiled sadly at her.

"You've always been stubborn, Callie. You're my sister. I love you. Please, think about this. I just want what's best for you."

Callie took a deep shuddering breath.

"I know whats best for me. Don't come near me or my friends again." She said, fighting to keep her voice steady.

Amelia nodded, and Bellatrix laughed, kicking Hunter in the ribs one more time before dragging him up by the arms and apparating away with a loud POP.

With a sad smile Amelia apparated away as well and left the eight teenagers standing on the sidewalk.

"We should go." Jenna said uneasily.

"Where?" Henry asked.

"My house. My brother will know what to do. We'll just apparate there."

Sirius held out his arm to Jenna, who took it tentatively, Remus grabbed Peter, who looked pale and had been silent throughout the whole ordeal, and Callie gripped Henry tightly.

"Try not to vomit, sweetie. Most people do their first time."

Before Henry could ask any questions they were all standing on Callie's front porch. Callie threw the door open and ushered everyone inside, calling for Jet and Sarah.

Henry looked pale and felt sick from apparating and Callie led him over to the couch, everyone else following after them.

"What happened?" Jet asked, noting their uneasy expressions.

Callie turned to speak but the words got caught in her throat. Before she realized what was happening she burst into tears and her knees went weak. She collapsed into a pair of arms that held her tightly while she sobbed.

"We saw your sister." James said. "And Hunter Kelley – the boy that attacked Callie last winter. And-"

"And my cousin, Bellatrix." Sirius said angrily.

"Bellatrix." Jet nodded. "Now, her I've heard of. Are you all okay?"

"They didn't hurt us." Lily said. "They just wanted to recruit us. Said there was an open invitation when we all finish school."

Jet and Sarah looked at each other uneasily while Callie tried to stop crying.

"A-Amelia, she…she has the mark." She sobbed. "The dark mark. I saw it. And she tortured Hunter just like he did me. She -she was s-smiling. She enjoyed i-it." Callie continued sobbing, only dimly aware that the familiar scent of the person holding her did not belong to her boyfriend.

James sat in a chair with Sirius on the armrest, James's arms tightly wrapped around Lily. Peter found another seat and Jenna sat beside her brother. Remus guided Callie down to the couch on the opposite side of Henry but she continued clinging to him as she tried to stop sobbing. He rubbed his hand up and down her arm and Callie slowly started to calm down.

"How could she do this?" She shook her head, suddenly coming to her senses and pulling away from Remus.

Instead she leaned forward on her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Henry leaned forward and put his arm around her but Callie couldn't bring herself to lean into him like she had Remus.

"She tortured Hunter just like he did me. She _enjoyed_ it. It was awful." Callie murmured.

"What were they trying to recruit you for?" Henry asked.

Jenna took a copy of the Daily Prophet from an end table and handed it to him. The headline was, as usual, about another murdered family, this time a witch and her muggle husband along with their two children. The photo showed a small house with the dark mark hanging over it.

"She wants us to join the wizard responsible for this." Jenna spat. "Theres a war going on. I don't understand why they wanted me or Lily, we're muggleborns. To them we're not even witches."

"To them we're not even _people_." Lily clarified.

"I've heard that he's making some exceptions. Mostly if you're particularly powerful or have something he wants, of course." Jet said.

Callie felt like she couldn't breathe. She looked down at her hands then remembered something.

"Are you alright?" She looked up at Sirius, who looked startled for a second.

"Yes. I'm fine." He said quietly, nodding at Callie, who gave him a smile that she hoped said she was here if he needed anything.

Ever since she found out about her parents she and Sirius had become closer friends. He'd comforted her about her family and she now had an idea of what he felt towards his, though she knew they were much worse. He was the only one of the boys she'd spent time with alone over the summer and she understood when his family was on his mind.

"I'll talk to some people about this at work tomorrow." Jet said. "Just be careful from now on, all of you. Keep your wands close and stay alert."

As the tension died down everyone decided to go home. Callie tightly hugged each of her friends goodbye reminding Sirius that she was here if she needed anything before hugging Remus which was much less awkward, though still much shorter than usual.

Sarah, the only one with a car or drivers license, drove Callie, Henry, and Jenna back to their car and James apparated with Lily to her house, keeping his arm around her as he walked her to her front door.

"James, you don't need to worry about me, I'll be fine." She assured her very tense boyfriend.

"I don't care." He said, holding her tightly. "I don't want to lose you, Lils."

Lily turned and wrapped her arms around him.

"And you won't. I'll be fine, I promise."

James looked down at her worriedly. Sometimes he still couldn't believe she was really with him. He half expected this past year to be a dream or some kind of joke, but no, Lily Evans was really with him, James Potter. She loved him and he loved her and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her as long as he could help it.

For a while he didn't want to let her go, but he knew she wouldn't want her parents to worry so he forced himself to release her and gave her several long kisses goodnight.

"I love you. I'll see you tomorrow." Lily smiled, finally forcing herself to separate from him and giving him a reassuring smile.

"I love you too."

* * *

The next day Callie was at Henry's house, lying in his bed while he sat against it on the floor.

"Callie?" Hunter asked hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Did you and Remus ever date or anything?"

Callie turned to him and paused for a second.

"Er- no. We're just close friends. Why?"

"Just, you two never seemed close. And something yesterday…if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in love with you." Henry chuckled.

 _If he were in love with me I wouldn't be here_. She thought.

The familiar guilty feeling formed in the pit of her stomach and Callie knew she had to tell him what she'd been thinking since last night.

"I'm going back to school in less than three weeks." Callie said.

"I know. I'm going to miss you like crazy." Henry said, sitting up on the bed beside her.

"And when I finish school…they'll be waiting." She said apprehensively. "And no one I care about will be safe. No one is safe now."

"Callie-"

She could tell Henry knew where she was going.

"We need to end this, Henry. Being with me puts a huge target on your back and I don't want anything to happen to you."

She wasn't lying. She did genuinely care for him and she'd never forgive herself if being with her got him killed. Besides, she didn't love him like he loved her and it wasn't fair to him. She couldn't keep fooling herself and she didn't want to drag him into danger just to forget someone she obviously still couldn't stop thinking about.

"Callie, I don't care about the danger." He said.

Callie looked him in the eye, taking his hand in hers.

"But I do. You don't understand what they'll do. That curse Amelia used, Hunter used it on my and it was – it was agonizing. Just a second under that curse and I wanted to _die_. And I'm not just going to say no to them, Henry. I'm going to fight against them. I'm going to be a part of this war and I can't put you in danger like that."

A few stray tears slipped down her cheeks and Henry reached up and wiped them away.

"I understand." He said simply. "I don't agree but I understand."

 _Merlin, why does he have to be so understanding?_ She thought. In another life he would be everything she wanted. In another life without Remus Lupin and even then she couldn't bring him into this war.

"We have to end this." She said sadly.

Henry nodded, though she could see the sadness in his face. She wanted so badly to take it away but she couldn't stay because she felt bad, and he couldn't put him in harm's way to make him happy.

"Can – can we be friends?" He asked quietly, his voice cracking.

"Yes, of course. We can write to each other while I'm in school." She offered.

"I'd like that."

Henry smiled at her but he looked absolutely heart broken and Callie hated herself for it. She'd made a huge mistake and she never meant for him to get hurt because of it. Part of her wished he'd get mad and yell at her but after everything she knew he'd be nothing but his sweet, understanding self.

She gave him one last kiss goodbye and went home, choosing to walk rather than apparate.

When she walked into her house she found Jet and Sarah sitting at the kitchen table. Jet was holding Sarah while she sobbed into her shoulder.

"Sarah? What's wrong? Did something happen?" Immediately Callie's mind flew to Sarah's muggle family and the headlines she'd been seeing in the news every day.

"M-my cousin, Jimmy." Sarah sobbed. "H-he killed h-himself. He's gone!"


	24. Back to Normal

**I still don't own anything and I love everyone who reads and enjoys this! Thank you all so much! I meant to get this uploaded yesterday but I went to the beach with my husband and some of his family on only a half hour of sleep and when I got home I couldn't keep my eyes open. Hope you all like this one!**

* * *

Jimmy had barely been making a living doing odd jobs in a small town when people learned that he was a werewolf and he was forced to leave by neighbors who wouldn't listen to his promises that he was always somewhere safe during the full moon. He hadn't been able to find any stable jobs or a place to live for a while. Sarah wished he'd come to her. She and Jet loved him and they would have done anything to help him, why couldn't he have seen that?

Callie sat beside her on the couch, trying to help her plan the funeral when and owl brought Sarah a letter.

She ripped it open and read it, her expression turning from sad to furious very quickly.

"Unbelievable!" She exclaimed, crumpling the letter and throwing it into the trash. "The Daily Prophet wont publish an obituary for him!"

"What? Why not?" Callie asked.

"We are very sorry for your loss but we do not publish obituaries for his kind. This is ridiculous! What is wrong with people?" Sarah dropped her head into her hands and Callie put her hand on her back.

Of course Callie couldn't help thinking about Remus. She knew he didn't like talking about his future because he didn't think he had much to look forward to, but she hadn't quite realized just how bad it could be for someone like him.

She wanted to go find him and hug him until neither of them could breathe but Jet had to go away for work and she wasn't about to leave Sarah all alone.

Now that she was helping Sarah with the funeral arraignments she realized that she'd met Jimmy on a few occasions two years ago. He'd been the groomsmen who walked Callie down the aisle at their wedding. She remembered a lively, funny young man with a huge personality, the kind of person that could start a party just by walking in the room and made sure everyone was happy.

How could such a wonderful person go like _this_? How could being a werewolf make people look past all the good things about him?

Even if things never went back to normal for her and Remus she swore she would never let him feel so alone.

* * *

Remus was sitting in Lily's bedroom with her and James talking about what had happened the night after the play.

He bit the inside of his cheek, tapping his foot on the floor anxiously, not fully hearing what his friends were saying.

"Do you think I caused any problems for Callie? With Henry, I mean."

"How?" Lily asked.

"Well, when she was crying...you saw. We both reached out to her. But I got to her first."

He'd pretended not to notice Henry reaching out to comfort her as well, and the troubled look he was giving them as Remus held her. He knew he shouldn't have done it but he couldn't just watch her break down like that. Reaching for her had been almost subconscious and by the time he realized that Henry was the one who should have been comforting her he just couldn't bring himself to let her go.

"Doesn't really matter anymore, I guess." Lily shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Now she had Remus's full attention.

"She broke up with him."

"What? Why?" Remus asked, eyes wide.

"She thought they'd be better as friends. And after what happened she didn't want to put him in any danger."

Remus smiled faintly, feeling lighter than he had all summer.

"Where is she now?" He asked.

"Oh, I tried to invite her over behind your back but she couldn't make it. Her sister in laws cousin passed away and she was helping her with the funeral plans." Lily frowned.

Remus looked away from his friends. He remembered Callie mentioning a cousin who was a werewolf, who had finished school the year they started. If it was him he was young, not that werewolves typically lived long lives anyway, but the one he was thinking of had to be in his early twenties.

"How?" He asked quietly, and when he looked back at Lily he knew it was the cousin he'd been thinking of.

"He, um...well, I - I think she said he...killed himself. Sarah's pretty broken up about it." Lily stammered, not meeting his eyes.

Remus nodded, then noticed James's confused expression.

"He was a werewolf. Callie mentioned him last spring." Remus said.

James nodded sadly, suddenly understanding the look on Lily and Remus's faces. He hoped he hadn't done it _because_ he was a werewolf, or at least that Remus wasn't thinking of it that way. As much as he enjoyed the night of the full moon since he became an animagus he couldn't let himself forget the reason they had done it. He still remembered the day he, Sirius, and Peter came to the hospital wing to find him looking particularly beaten up and made the final decision that they had to do something to help.

He cast a look at Remus, who seemed to be thinking, and hoped that he knew their help didn't end when school did.

* * *

Later in the week Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter had all promised to meet Callie at her house after Jimmy's funeral. Jet and Sarah were coming home briefly gather their things before spending a few nights at Sarah's parents' house. Callie told her they would be home around 4 that afternoon so Lily had told Remus to meet them at her house at 5 and told everyone else to be there at 6. Remus had no idea and Callie was expecting them all somewhere in between.

Lily and James were sitting at the edge of the river in the woods, which they'd started to think of as their spot. Lily held James's hand and smiled out at the water. They'd just received their lists from school, along with letters telling them they would be head boy and girl that year. James had been very surprised, since he wasn't even a prefect, but apparently they had already offered it to Remus, who declined, worried that between studying and being "sick" so often he wouldn't be able to properly fulfill his responsibilities. Still, why they gave it to James was beyond him but he wasn't complaining, though he was a little nervous, Lily promised she'd help him out.

"You know Sirius will never let you live this down, right?" Lily teased.

"I can give him detentions now, can't I?" James laughed. "Though between me and him I'm pretty sure you broke a record for handing us the most detentions in 5th year."

Lily smiled at the memory.

"Good times."

"For you." He snorted, remembering just how many detentions that really was and shaking his head.

"Well, you did deserve most of them."

James raised his eyebrows at her.

"Okay, _some_ of them." She admitted. "Probably more than half."

James splashed her with water from the river and Lily shrieked in surprise, giggling and covering her face before jumping at him and knocking him over, pinning him to the ground, though he didn't seem to mind much. He reached up and pulled her down with him, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her nose.

"I'm glad you don't hate me anymore." He sighed and Lily laughed loudly.

"I never _hated_ you. You just drove me crazy. You still drive me crazy." She said, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him.

"Well, I'm glad we've at least progressed passed the point where you hex me every time I talk to you."

"Hey, we still have one more year of school left."

James glared playfully at her and Lily leaned up and kissed him, a memory floating to the front of her mind.

"I overheard you talking to Remus in the common room one night." She said. "After Christmas."

James thought back and was fairly certain he remembered the night she was talking about.

"What did you hear?"

"You were trying to tell him to make a move, nothing everyone hasn't been telling him since – Merlin, it's been almost a year now, hasn't it?" Lily realized, getting momentarily distracted.

"And I told him I loved you." He remembered, bringing Lily back to the present.

"Yeah." She said softly. "I couldn't stop thinking about it for a while. I'd been wondering all year if you still felt the same about me."

James smiled and kissed her head.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He asked.

"I didn't know what to say." She shrugged, then smiled and looked back up at him. "I guess kissing you was just easier."

James shrugged under her.

"I have no complaints."

Lily rolled her eyes at him, leaning up but still lying on top of him.

"What I was trying to say was…I already knew I felt something for you but after that…it took me a while but I realized I love you too. As crazy as you drove me I'm really glad that you never gave up."

James reached up to brush her hair away from her cheek, smiling softly at her. He kissed her and she rolled off of him, lying on her back with her head on his chest and looking up at the sky through the trees.

* * *

Remus wasn't surprised that he was the first one at Callie's house. He had a feeling Lily was planning on telling everyone else to take their time getting there, he just hoped they wouldn't take too long.

Sarah answered the door, her eyes red and puffy and still dressed for the funeral but she smiled weakly and invited him in.

"I'm so sorry about your cousin." He said.

Sarah nodded sadly.

"Thanks. I just…I just wish he'd realized he could have come to us instead of-" She stopped herself abruptly, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this. Callie's out back on the porch."

Remus turned to go find her but something brought him back to where Sarah was now sitting in the living room.

"He knew. He was probably just afraid. Of hurting someone or being a burden. But I'm sure he knew."

Sarah wiped several more tears from her face before looking back at him and nodding.

"Thank you." She said, taking him by surprise and hugging him tightly.

"Does Callie know?" She asked after she let him go.

For a second he looked startled but he nodded his head.

"Yeah."

"You told her?"

"No. I never wanted her to find out."

"She didn't tell me, by the way. She knew the date of the full moon in December and then later she mentioned that she stayed at school over Christmas to keep you company, and then what you just said a second ago…I put it together. How did Callie find out?" Sarah leaned back on the armrest of the couch, rubbing her growing stomach.

Remus looked down at his feet, shifting uncomfortably. He wasn't sure why he felt compelled to talk to her about this but she seemed so broken up about her cousin and, while he wasn't going to do anything like what he had done, Remus understood what he had gone through. Without looking up at her, he told her about the night Jonathan left her in the woods and he found her, about how terrified he'd been the next morning, how terrible he still felt about the whole night and how Callie had been there for him the next day and ever since.

"I never want to hurt her." He said, finally looking up at her.

He expected her to be furious for putting Callie in danger but she was just smiling at him.

"I know." She nodded.

Jet called her from somewhere upstairs and Sarah reached out and put her hand on Remus's shoulder.

"Thank you." She said before turning to find her husband.

Remus went to the door to the back yard, where he could see Callie sitting on a swing on the porch, still wearing her black dress from the funeral. He was a little nervous as he opened the door. This would be the first time they'd been alone together since he tried and failed to apologize at school and he hoped it wouldn't be too uncomfortable. He hated that things were awkward between them now but when she saw him Callie jumped up and threw her arms around him and he hugged her back tightly.

"I missed you." She said.

"You just saw me a few days ago." Remus laughed quietly.

"That's not what I mean."

Callie shook her head and took her seat back on the swing with Remus beside her.

"I've missed you all summer. Things are different between us now and I hate it. I just want things to go back to normal." She sighed, looking down at her hands on her lap.

Remus watched her for a second. He'd been so afraid that she wouldn't want things to go back to normal between them all summer and, while he always wanted much more than what was normal for them, now they'd gone almost a whole summer where they hardly spoke.

"I've missed you too. _Can_ things go back to normal between us?"

Callie nodded.

"I think so."

She inched over and rested her head on his shoulder. _That_ felt normal. The two of them sat and talked until Sarah opened the door and popped her head out, Jet standing behind her.

We have to get going but I left the number to my parents' house in the kitchen if you need us."

"Alright. I'll see you in two days." Callie said, getting up to hug her goodbye.

Sarah disappeared into the house and Jet turned to the two of them.

"Alright, have fun and er…don't do anything I wouldn't do?" He said, with an awkward gesture at his little sister.

"That phrase doesn't really do much when I have literally watched you get drunk and try to jump out of a third story window into a snow bank in your underwear." Callie pointed out.

"Right, well don't do anything I would do either." He smirked, hugging his sister and waving goodbye to Remus.

Callie sat back down and the two of them joked around until the rest of their friends arrived, all instantly noticing how much less tense things felt between the two of them.

They'd all agreed that, after so much worrying they were going to forget what had happened after the show for at least _one_ night. One more night when they would just be teenagers and have fun before they had to go back to school.

They ordered takeout and spent the night drinking and doing stupid things, all of them falling asleep in various parts of Callie's living room after watching (and making relentless fun of) an awful werewolf movie they'd found on TV. Remus and Callie curled up and fell asleep together in a thick cozy armchair that reminded them of the ones in the Gryffindor common room and James and Lily snuggled up on the couch, all happy that they had at least one more year to feel normal.


	25. Monster

**I still own nothing, but thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! They always make me smile!**

* * *

Remus Lupin was a monster.

That was what he told himself every time he started to think that maybe there could be something more between him and Callie.

He was a monster and monsters don't get to live happily ever after.

Callie and the rest of his friends constantly told him that he was a wonderful person but how could he be if there was a part of him that would tear them all to shreds the first chance it got? How could she really want to _be_ with him when she'd seen him turn into something so horrible with her own eyes?

He'd been shocked when her sister in law hadn't hated him for putting Callie in danger. Even more surprised when one day the very pregnant woman took his hand and excitedly placed it on her stomach because "every time you talk the baby starts kicking".

They'd had to leave their previous home early last summer because one day, after Remus noticed none of the local witches and wizards would look at him when he walked by, a book showed up on their doorstep; _Lupine Lawlessness: Why Lycanthropes Don't Deserve to Live._

He'd never told his friends about this of course, but Callie was so much more to him than just a friend. He quietly told her about it as she looked disgustedly at an old dusty copy of the same book they found while they were school shopping.

"How could anyone think like that?" Callie sighed sadly, looking over at one of the kindest people she knew.

" _Most_ people think like that." He reminded her. "I'm a monster, Callie, you know that."

He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he said this but he smiled wryly, sounding resigned to this knowledge. Callie shook her head and grabbed his hand tightly.

"No. You're not." She said firmly.

Remus opened his mouth to respond, then glanced over her shoulder and frowned. Callie turned and followed his gaze to a small girl standing beside one of the shops. She had a long blond pigtails and was crying into her hands.

The two of them approached her and Remus leaned down on his knees.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

The girl shook her head and she couldn't have been much older than six.

"Are you lost?"

She nodded and Remus nodded back.

"My name is Remus. This is Callie." He said, gesturing to her.

"Sally." She sniffled, still crying.

Remus stood back up and turned to Callie.

"Here." He reached into one of the bags he was holding and handed the girl a chocolate frog. She stopped crying and hesitantly took it from him. "Do you know where your parents were going?" He asked.

"They needed a cauldron for my brother." She sniffled, taking a bite of the chocolate.

"Well, why don't we go look for them?" Callie asked, holding out her hand to the girl.

Sally took her hand and followed the two of them down the street. Callie watched, amused as Remus made her laugh until she pointed ahead of them and called out.

"Mommy!"

Callie let go of her hand and the girl ran into the arms of her worried mother, who thanked them profusely, holding her tightly.

When they left Callie was looking amusedly at Remus, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What?" He asked, glancing away uncomfortably.

"That was just…so _monstrous_ of you Remus. Making a little girl laugh, giving her chocolate. I'm shaking." She teased.

"Oh, shove it."

"No, no, that was really terrifying. You completely proved your point, you monster, you." Callie joked, waving her fist at him.

Remus just rolled his eyes. He doubted she'd ever really understand what he was, and he was completely okay with that.

* * *

A few days later the Marauders, along with Lily and Callie, stood on platform 9 ¾ with their school trunks, hugging their families' goodbye and weaving their way through the throngs of students excited to go back to school.

The six of them found an empty compartment on the train, though James, Lily, and Remus had to leave soon after for a prefect meeting. The train ride was uneventful, though certainly not quiet or boring with the Marauders. The full moon was tomorrow night and Remus wasn't feeling too great. He sat between Callie and Sirius, watching Callie draw in the journal he'd given her for Christmas while Sirius teased James about being head boy.

When the train stopped they were all so caught up in their jokes that they didn't notice Callie slipping away from the group until she was already gone. Remus and Lily worriedly searched around the crowd for her but they didn't find her.

"She probably just got stuck in the crowd." James shrugged. "We'll find her at the feast."

Remus nodded and followed his friends to a carriage, though he was feeling more than a little uneasy. Something didn't seem right to him.

They didn't find Callie at the feast. She wasn't in the dormitory or anywhere else in the school. They searched the school along with the teachers and other prefects but they never found her.

The next day at breakfast, as students prepared for their classes Professor Dumbledore made an announcement, asking anyone who knew anything about where Callie was to speak to him or their head of house.

By dinner there was still no sign of her and all her friends were worried sick. Remus stared down at his dinner, feeling absolutely useless. He'd hardly heard a word in any of his classes and now he would have to spend the night in the Shrieking Shack when he should have been trying to find Callie.

 _Maybe Callie will be back when I wake up._ He thought. _Maybe she'll be waiting for me in the hospital wing, perfectly fine and with a reasonable explanation as to why she went missing._

He knew it was wishful thinking but he kept hoping as he left the school for the night.

* * *

Lily ran, hand in hand with James, down the hall to where he was planning on leaving the school with Sirius and Peter, who were running with them, to meet up with Remus. As they neared the exit they were planning on taking Lily jerked his hand toward her, pulling him back and planting a deep kiss on his lips.

"Be careful." She said, out of breath.

James nodded, pulling her closer and kissing her again. Sirius and Peter sniggered when an angry voice caught them all by surprise.

" _Potter!"_

The two of them jerked apart and looked down the hall to where Severus Snape was stalking toward them, all too happy to distract the kissing couple.

"I know where you're going!" He said as he got closer. "To see your little _werewolf_ friend-"

All at once James, Sirius, Peter and even Lily had their wands on him. Sirius grabbed him and pinned him against a wall by the front of his robes.

"What do you want, Snape?" James spat.

"I'm trying to warn you, idiots." He growled. "They've got Callie in the Shrieking Shack."

"Who?" Lily asked, lowering her wand and reaching out to pull back Sirius's hand.

"Jonathan Dryer and Hunter Kelley. They know he's a werewolf. They're going to trap them both in the shack. They're going to make him kill her." Snape said gravely, glowering at the three boys.

James and Lily went pale, her eyes wide and terrified for both of her friends. Peter nearly dropped his wand, staring open-mouthed at the Slytherin and Sirius tensed, staring at Snape for a second before shaking his head.

"Why would they tell _you_?" Sirius snarled, clearly not trusting him.

" _Because_ , I'm supposed to be stopping anyone from interrupting it. Another boy, Lucas Smith is supposed to be here soon to help me, you have to hurry!"

"So why are you telling us?" Peter asked.

"Because she _was_ my friend, you moron! And I know you go to the shack with him. I don't know how, but you do it and I can't think of anyone else who can help her now." He admitted the last part begrudgingly.

Lily stepped between him and the Marauders, pushing them back. The three boys lowered their wands but still looked defensive.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Sirius asked, eyeing him warily.

Severus rolled his eyes, looking frustrated with all of them, he shot Sirius a glare.

"He's not lying." Lily assured them, looking him in the eye.

Snape faltered, glancing away from her eyes unsteadily, and nodded.

"You need to hurry." He urged.

"Go." James said. Nodding to Peter and Sirius. "I'll be right behind you."

Without a word Sirius and Peter ran off down the hall, trusting James and Lily to know what they were doing.

"You were supposed to stop them." Lily said.

Snape nodded.

Lily reached out and took his hand in hers, gently pulling it toward him and sliding his sleeve up. Severus watched as a look relief crossed over her face. She brushed her fingers gently over the bare skin on his arm where she feared the dark mark would be and Snape closed his eyes, his heart racing at her touch.

"What will they do when they realize you've failed?" She asked quietly.

Snape shook his head.

"They won't be happy that I told you." He said.

He knew it wouldn't be good but he couldn't let Callie die. She had been his friend. She was the only one who treated him civilly all of last year and as much as he disliked Lupin and his friends Callie didn't deserve to die like this.

"Then we'll have to pretend you didn't." Lily sighed, dropping his hand and taking a step back.

"What?" Snape asked.

Lily and James exchanged a glance, both seeming to silently come to the same agreement.

"We'll make it look like you tried. Like you fought us and lost. They can't expect you to win against four of us, can they?" James said.

Lily held up her wand but hesitated.

"Do it." Snape pushed. "Just - knock me out."

Lily swallowed hard before taking a deep shaky breath.

"I just – I don't want to hurt you, Sev."

Snape smiled weakly at her and James put his hand on hers.

"Then don't. I'll do it."

Lily glanced between the two of them, Snape nodded and Lily lowered her wand as James raised his.

"Just…be careful." Lily said.

"Don't go easy on me, Potter." He snarled.

"Like I ever would." James smirked.

He waved his wand at Snape and uttered two spells, knocking him unconscious and leaving a cut across his cheek for good measure, though he didn't mind much after the last thing he saw before he hit the floor was Lily reaching out to him.

She grabbed Snape before he hit the floor, carefully putting him down, then grabbed James, kissing him deeply before shoving him down the hall.

"Now go! Hurry, and _please -_ be careful." Lily pleaded.

James turned and ran in the same direction Sirius and Peter had gone and Lily kneeled down beside Snape, debating if it would be better to leave him like this and run for help or wait for someone to come along.

In the end she didn't have to make the decision. The Slytherin boy who'd tried hexing her last year came running down the hall, hesitating when she saw Lily standing over the unconscious boy. Lily raised her wand, standing between him and Snape.

"Get help." She said, gesturing to Snape on the off chance that he wasn't the boy he'd been waiting for.

"I am the help, stupid mudblood!" He raised his wand and sent a curse flying at Lily, who blocked it easily.

The two of them fought but like last year, the boy was a terrible dueler and had no idea what he was doing. Lily quickly petrified him and left him lying on the floor before running for help, silently praying that James, Sirius, and Peter would reach the Shrieking Shack before it was too late.

It was dark outside and the full moon was nearly out, they wouldn't have much time now.


	26. The Shrieking Shack

**I spent a lot of time on this chapter, so I really hope its alright. I love you alllllll, and I own nothing.**

* * *

Remus was distracted on his way to the Shrieking Shack.

He was so preoccupied worrying about Callie that he didn't hear anyone whispering in the shack. He didn't hear them shuffling around, he didn't notice that anything was off until he had two wands pointed in his face.

"Your wand." Jonathan Dryer held out his hand.

Remus didn't move.

"You don't want to do this." He said, glancing uneasily out the window.

"Oh, I do. Give. Me. Your. Wand." He said again.

Remus still didn't move.

Hunter Kelley stepped aside to reveal Callie, sitting on the floor, bruised and bleeding with her hands tied to the railing of the stairs and his stomach dropped to the floor.

"One more time. Give me your wand, Lupin. You can't fight both of us."

Callie shook her head and Hunter removed the silencing charm he had on her.

"Don't listen to them, Remus!"

Hunter kicked her hard in the back before pointing his own wand at her.

"Crucio!"

Callie let out an agonizing scream, writhing in pain and Remus felt his heart shatter. He took out his wand and tried to shield Callie but Jonathan quickly started firing spells of his own. Remus hardly had time to block them when Hunter abruptly stopped torturing Callie and disarmed him before he realized what was happening.

Jonathan caught Remus's wand and dropped it to the floor beside Callie's, out of reach of both of them.

Callie was slumped over against the wall, glaring at them and trying her hardest to look stronger than she felt. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of thinking they'd broken her.

"What do you want?" Remus asked.

"You. We've been waiting, Lupin. What took you so long?" Hunter teased.

"Let her go. Please. I'll do whatever you want, just don't hurt her."

The two boys laughed nastily.

"Oh, don't worry Remus, we have no intention of hurting Ms. Moore anymore."

Hunter flicked his wand and Remus fell to his knees beside Callie.

"That's your job tonight, _wolf boy_." Jonathan teased.

Remus's eyes went wide with horror. Jonathan cast a spell and his wrists were tied beside Callie's. He instantly started struggling to get away but it was no use.

"You can't do this! Just let her go, I'll do anything."

Jonathan kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and the they laughed again as he gasped.

"I guess you weren't _entirely_ wrong Callie, werewolves _can_ be useful. And if the monster has any decency left after he finishes you off he'll take care of himself in the morning." He smirked, leaning close to the two of them.

Callie spit in his face and Jonathan slapped her, the sound echoing through the shack.

"Good night you two." He said, turning with Hunter to leave.

"Hope you're hungry, Lupin." Hunter smirked as the two of them disappeared into the tunnel to the whomping willow.

* * *

A dog and a rat ran frantically toward the shrieking shack, having decided they would be faster in their animagus forms. As they got closer to the entrance to the shack they saw two figures approaching them and Sirius changed back to himself, blindly throwing hexes and curses at Jonathan and Hunter.

Taken by surprise, it took them a moment to fight back. Peter hesitated, then turned back into himself to help Sirius, who was waving his wand furiously, knocking the two of them off balance, but still couldn't fight two people on his own.

Suddenly a third wand began casting spells and they turned, expecting James but they found Amelia instead, attacking Jonathan and Hunter.

"You were supposed to be on our side!" Hunter spat.

"You're not supposed to be doing this and you know it! That's my _sister_!" She bellowed, sending a jet of red light at his chest. Hunter fell to the ground and she started on Jonathan.

"Go! Find Callie before it's too late! I can handle them."

Sirius and Peter hesitated, glancing between the three of them, but it was getting late and they were running out of time. They turned back into their animaguses and ran down the tunnel.

* * *

Remus struggled against the ropes around his wrists, frantically trying to free himself before it was too late.

"Remus." Callie said calmly. "Remus, listen to me. It's no use. The ropes are enchanted. They're not going to break until it's too late." She said sadly.

"No! I'm going to get you out of here Callie, I have to!" He cried, tears streaming down his face.

"Remus stop it, please, you're going to hurt yourself."

"No, Callie, I'm going to hurt _you_ if I can't get you out of here. I have to - I have to -"

Remus stopped struggling and slumped weakly against the wall, crying into his arms. He knew what was coming, and he knew there was no use. In a few minutes the moon would rise, he'd change into a monster and - he couldn't bear to think of what would happen next.

"Remus, look at me, please." She begged.

Remus turned to her and Callie smiled softly, the same smile he was so deeply in love with, and he let out a low sob.

"I don't want to hurt you, Callie."

She nodded.

"I know, Remus."

She leaned toward him, resting her head on his arm.

"It's okay." She said, a look of resignation on her face. "Everything's going to be okay."

Remus shook his head violently.

"No, it's not Callie. When the moon is up I'm going to - I'll -" He let out another choked sob into his arms. "I don't want to do this." He whispered weakly.

Callie nodded again.

"I know, Remus. I know. It's not your fault, okay? Whatever happens tonight, it's not your fault." Her voice shook but she looked determinedly at him.

Remus's eyes widened and he scowled at her.

"Don't do that! Don't give up. It's not too late yet, I'm going to…"

He struggled to free his hands once more, twisting his wrists, pulling at the ropes, then buried his face in his arms. Callie leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Remus, whatever happens please, don't blame yourself. I never will, I promise. You are the kindest, most gentle human being I've ever known and none of this is your fault." She assured him.

Remus's heart broke. He was about to kill her and she was still trying to make _him_ feel better. His mind scrambled to find a way out of this but there was nothing they could do. They only had a few minutes left at best.

"I love you." He whispered, turning to look her in the eye. "I'm in love with you and I was so scared - so afraid hurting you, of _this_ exactly, that I - I pushed you away and i-it was all for nothing. I thought I could protect you from me. I was an idiot and I love you and I'm so sorry."

Callie was shaking like a leaf but she smiled at him.

"I love you too."

He felt like he couldn't breathe. He wanted to be happy, but he was just sick and terrified and he thought he'd rather die than hurt her, but soon he'd have no choice.

He leaned closer to her and closed his eyes. Callie kissed him gently, trying her hardest not to cry but she broke into sobs.

"Shhh," Remus said soothingly. "It's okay. James and Sirius and Pete will be here soon. They'll get you out, it'll be okay." He didn't believe it, but he hoped that maybe they would get there on time. He knew they'd be there soon but they always came after he changed and he wasn't sure how long they had.

Callie nodded against his shoulder, turning her eyes towards the window.

She could see the moon.

"Whatever happens tonight Remus, don't blame yourself. I never will. I love you."

Remus made a strangled sound and Callie pulled back, watching again as he changed from the boy she loved to a furious wolf.

The last thing he heard before he completely lost control of himself was Callie's soothing voice.

"No matter what happens Remus, you're not a monster."

* * *

Peter was the first to get to the shack and the rat watched helplessly as Callie stood, her arms tied above her head, shaking violently and sobbing as the wolf eyed her excitedly.

"Remus." She sobbed, knowing it was in vain. "Please-"

He moved so fast they almost didn't see it as he slashed his claws across her, tearing her shirt and leaving three long, deep, bloody gashes from her shoulder to her stomach. She slumped against the railing beside her, hardly having time to cry out in pain as the second slash in the other direction left three more cuts across her other shoulder and freed her from the railing, breaking both her wrists with a sickening snap as she was flung across the room.

She tried to force herself up but she could hardly feel her arms and legs, let alone use them. The wolf leapt at her, standing over her so close she could feel his breath on her face.

With a deep, shuddering breath she forced herself to look him in the eye.

"It's not your fault." She said quietly, waiting for him to rip her throat out.

He never did.

Instead a large black dog leapt at him, dragging him away from Callie and wrestling to keep him away. Remus fought to get closer to her but the dog fought harder to keep him as far away as he could.

* * *

Somewhere ahead of him in the tunnel under the whomping willow James could hear yelling.

He clutched his wand tightly in his hand, praying his friends hadn't been hurt as he approached the source of the yelling.

It was Amelia.

She was standing over Jonathan and Hunter, who were lying on the ground, unconscious, he hoped. She didn't move or look up when he stopped beside her.

"Keep going." She said. "Your friends are already there. They'll need you. I'll take care of these two."

He didn't need to be told twice. James continued running toward the shack. He could hear noise inside, growling and snarling and several loud thuds. He ran in without giving himself time to think and found Sirius wrestling with Remus, who was fighting to get across the room to Callie, who was lying on the floor, barely conscious.

Sirius pinned Remus to the floor by his throat and glanced at James, silently telling him to _hurry the hell up._

Without giving them a second glance James ran across the room and grabbed Callie as quickly as he could. Remus was still snarling and trying harder than ever to get out of Sirius's grasp as James pulled her into the tunnel.

Once they were out of harm's way he took a second to look down at her. She was covered in so much blood he could hardly see where she was injured and she was struggling to stay conscious.

"Callie. Can you hear me? Stay awake. You'll be okay."

She rolled her head to the side, barely opening her eyes.

"I am okay." She said.

James almost laughed. Of course she would say that when she was so obviously not okay at all.

"I can't feel anything."

James's heart sunk. He continued running, though he already felt like he was about to collapse. Callie was bleeding too much for him to even consider slowing down. He didn't see anyone else in the tunnel, somehow Amelia had gotten Jonathan and Hunter out of there in a matter of minutes. He hoped he could get Callie out as quickly.

"If I don't…if I'm not okay…" She whispered so quietly James had to struggle to hear her. "…don't let Remus blame himself for this."

He knew perfectly well that Remus would blame himself. He could only hope that Callie would be there to make him feel better in the morning.

* * *

Lily sat beside Severus's bed in the hospital wing. Waiting for him to wake up or for James to return.

Lucas Smith had been taken away by Dumbeldore. He'd told them that he didn't know what they were planning, only that they had Callie in the Shrieking Shack and he and Severus were supposed to keep people away. Whether he was telling the truth or not she couldn't tell.

Severus stirred beside her, very happy to see Lily Evans sitting with him despite the pounding in his head. It took him a second to remember what had happened.

"How are you feeling?" She asked quietly.

"Fine." Snape said, sitting up.

"They're not back yet." Lily said worriedly before he even had a chance to ask. "But...I'm sure they'll be back soon. They'll be okay." She nodded shakily, fidgeting with the sleeves of her robes.

Severus tentatively reached out and put his hand on hers. Lily stopped fidgeting and smiled softly at him. Madam Pomfrey was already preparing for James and Callie to return, McGonagall waiting beside her. She'd been furious when she learned that James had gone after her but Lily promised he knew what he was doing and Dumbledore seemed satisfied with that.

She could only hope that she was right and that he'd be back soon.

"Sev…you can't tell anyone about Remus. Please." She pleaded, tears falling from her green eyes as she looked at him.

As much as he would have loved the chance to have the Marauders thrown out of school Dumbledore had made him promise to keep Lupin's secret years ago, _after the bastards nearly got me killed._ He remembered bitterly.

Still, he found himself nodding in agreement. The last thing he wanted to do was make Lily hate him any more than she already did.

They sat there waiting for what felt like an eternity, Lily biting her lip and fidgeting endlessly when the doors to the hospital wing flung open and James came running in carrying Callie.

Lily jumped up, gasping in shock as took in the sight of the two of them.

They were covered in blood and Callie was lying limply in his arms. Madam Pomfrey ordered him to put her down in the nearest bed and began tending to her immediately. Professor McGonagall looked absolutely shocked until Madam Pomfrey called to her.

"I need your help."

She nodded and went to Callie's side, closing the curtains around the bed so they couldn't see her anymore.

James stood in the middle of the room, staring down at his blood soaked shirt, not sure what to do or think or say. He looked up and caught Lily's eye for a moment before she jumped into his arms, holding him tightly, so relieved to have him back and safe in her arms. She guided him to the nearest bed, the one opposite Snape and looked him over, trying to see if any of the blood was his.

"I was so scared." She breathed heavily, looking him in the eye, still holding him. "You were gone for so long – are you alright?"

James just kissed her.

"I love you." Lily said shakily.

"I love you too."

He pressed his forehead against hers and the two of them sat together for a while, waiting to hear what would happen to their friend. McGonagall came out first, looking somberly at them

"Is she okay?" Lily asked urgently.

McGonagall hesitated.

"She's lost a lot of blood. Most likely she'll be alright eventually." McGonagall said. "At the very least she hasn't been bitten."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief and James visibly relaxed. Even Snape, who had been glaring towards the other side of the room, looked relieved.

McGonagall looked sternly at James for a moment.

"Are you alright?"

James nodded.

"I don't know how you got her out of there Mr. Potter, but I must ask you to _never_ try anything so dangerous again." She seemed torn between anger, and relief, with the smallest hint of pride.

James nodded.

"I'm sorry Professor. I had to."

"We'll talk about this later." She assured him.

McGonagall took a seat by Callie's bed, where Madam Pomfrey was still caring for her. She tried to tell James and Lily to go to bed but Lily wouldn't leave Callie's side and James knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night anyway. Snape did leave, now that he at least knew Callie would be alright he had no desire to sit beside James and Lily any more than he had to.

James sat silently with his arms around her for a while when Lily looked up at him, a few tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Remus..." She said. "He's going to be devastated."

James nodded.

"Callie's going to be alright though. She'll talk to him."

He was trying to assure himself as much as Lily. He knew tomorrow wouldn't be easy for anyone and there was a chance Callie wouldn't even be awake tomorrow to talk to him.

"If he lets her." She sighed.


	27. Morning

**I own nothing still! As always thank you all for everything!**

* * *

Callie didn't wake up before sunrise, though Madam Pomfrey said she was looking better. At some point in the night Dumbledore spoke to James, who told him as much as he could about what had happened. There was no sign of Amelia, Johnathan, or Hunter and there wasn't much they could do.

Jet and Sarah were at the castle within hours to see Callie.

James tried to talk to them about Remus but they assured him that wasn't necessary. Sarah had spent too much time trying to tell Jimmy that his lycanthropy wasn't his fault to blame Remus for this. They knew he was a good person who cared deeply about Callie and as sad as they were about what happened it was Johnathan and Hunters fault, not his.

As a result, they decided not to involve the ministry. They'd already proven useless at finding the two teenagers and contacting them would only cause trouble for Remus, which they knew Callie wouldn't want if she were awake.

Luke honestly hadn't known what was going to happen and was terrified to learn that Callie had nearly died. He insisted that he thought they were just bringing her to the shack to scare her so, while he was in a lot of trouble, he wasn't being expelled, which infuriated James and Lily. Dumbledore, however thought there was still hope for him, so he would stay at the school, on very thin ice and being watched constantly.

When it came time for Remus to come back James, knowing how upset he'd be, asked Madam Pomfrey if he could be the one to go get him and she allowed it.

James found him curled up beside a pool of Callie's blood, Sirius's jacket thrown over him, his eyes squeezed shut and his forehead pressed against the floor. Sirius and Peter were trying to comfort him but it was no use. He wouldn't even look up at them.

"Remus?" James said gently. "She's fine. Callie's fine. Lily and I have been with her all night. Everything's okay."

Remus finally looked up, a pained look on his face, bruised and cut from fighting Sirius last night.

"How can you say that?" He whispered. "Look what I've done! It's not okay! I tried to kill her!" He gestured at all the blood in the room before burying his face in his hands.

It covered the wall by the stairs, streaked across the room where he'd thrown her, and pooled on the floor where she'd been lying, waiting and hoping for someone to come help her.

"Come on. " Sirius said, taking the extra clothes James had brought and handing them to him.

Remus numbly put them on but continued sitting on the floor, staring miserably at the pool of Callie's blood in front of him.

"Come on." Sirius said again, pulling him up by the arm. "You need to see Madam Pomfrey."

Sirius had tried his hardest not to hurt him too badly last night but it really was no use. He was covered in bruises and cuts and deep bite marks. He and Peter had to practically carry him back to the school while James tried to assure him that she was going to be alright.

"Did I...will she..." He stammered.

"You didn't bite her."

Remus seemed relieved for a second but the image of Callie shaking and crying and bleeding on the floor in front of him was stuck in his head. All he could hear was the sound of her screaming, her bones snapping, he could practically still smell her blood and he felt sick to his stomach because he _wanted_ it last night. He wanted to tear her apart, to end her life. He almost missed Peter talking to him.

"What?" He asked dully.

"Do you remember what Callie said before Sirius came?"

Remus didn't answer.

"She said it wasn't your fault."

Remus remembered that, too.

He would never forgive himself for this. He wasn't even sure how his friends could still look at him after what he'd done. He was certain Callie would hate him, probably almost as much as he hated himself now, and he absolutely deserved it.

As they neared the school Remus stopped. Callie was in there, hurt because of him. What else was waiting? Had news of what happened spread around the school yet? Would he be thrown out? Arrested? Was Callie's family in there waiting for him? He knew he deserved it all but he couldn't move. His legs felt petrified and his friends had to almost drag him in but soon he was looking at the doors to the hospital wing and his entire body felt numb.

As he got closer he could see Jet and Sarah talking to Madam Pomfrey. He tried to stop walking but now all three of his friends were pulling him forward. If Peter and Sirius hadn't been there when he changed back he would have just left and never came back. He wished they would just let him disappear. Everything in him wanted to just turn and run the other way, but he was so tired and achy and numb that he couldn't do anything but let them pull him forward.

Jet and Sarah stopped and looked at him and he froze, his heart racing, he couldn't even bring himself to look at them. They started coming towards him and he flinched away, waiting for them to scream at him, hit him, hex him. He didn't fully understand what was happening when Sarah threw her arms around him and held him tightly instead. The numb feeling was replaced with guilt and sadness and he couldn't imagine why she was hugging him like this after what he'd done.

"I'm sorry." He choked, sobbing into her shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt her."

"We know." Jet assured him.

For a while Sarah cried with him, she couldn't bring herself to let him go until she remembered that he was hurt too. She held him at arm's length and looked him over for a second, wondering if he always looked this bad after the full moon.

Remus still couldn't bring himself to look at her, or anyone. Instead he glanced over at a bed with the curtains closed around it.

"Can I see her?" He asked shakily.

Everyone went silent. Lily was the first to speak.

"She's okay, Remus. She's just sleeping." She said softly.

"I need to see her."

James and Lily exchanged a glance with Sirius and Peter, silently trying to tell them that he did not want to see he right now.

Both her wrists and one of her shoulders was broken, she had cuts and scrapes all over her body, and long deep claw marks across her arms, shoulders, chest, and stomach. She looked terrible and they knew that seeing her like that would do nothing to help Remus right now. They had hoped he wouldn't see her until she was awake and could talk to him but she still hadn't woken up and if she did Madam Pomfrey said it was very likely that she would have been too weak to speak anyway.

He started walking toward her but Lily grabbed both his shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"Remus, please. She's okay, that's all that matters. Wait until she wakes up."

She knew it would absolutely break him to see her like this. It broke her heart to look at her, but she knew Callie would be okay soon. Remus, on the other hand, had a much longer road ahead and no one wanted it to be any worse for him than it had to be.

He shook his head.

"I can't."

Jet put his hand on Remus's shoulder.

"Come on, then." He nodded.

Remus had to force himself to walk toward the bed but soon he was standing in front of the curtain. He tried to steady his breathing but he couldn't. He reached shakily out to the curtain and pulled it back and suddenly he couldn't breathe at all. His legs gave out and he dropped down beside her bed, shaking and unable to take his eyes off of her.

"What have I done?" He buried his face in the blankets beside her, crying and shaking his head. "How could I do this?"

"You didn't." Sirius said from behind him. "That wasn't you. Callie knows _you_ would never hurt her."

"No one blames you, Remus." Sarah assured him, putting her hand on his back comfortingly.

"It wasn't your fault." Lily said.

Somehow everyone trying to make him feel better made him feel worse. He had done something terrible. They should be angry at him! They should be disgusted, they should lock him away somewhere so he could never hurt anyone like this ever again, but instead they were all comforting him and he didn't think he deserved it at all.

"How can you say that? Look what I did!"

James kneeled down beside him.

"She told me she didn't want you to blame yourself." He said.

Remus reached out toward her hand but pulled back. How could he touch her now when the last time he did she ended up like this?

Madam Pomfrey tried to get him into a bed so she could take care of his injuries too but he didn't want to move. He sat on the floor, watching her slowly breathing until James and Sirius pulled him up and into the bed beside Callie's, where he could still watch her while Madam Pomfrey tended to his injuries.

He was so stuck staring at her that he didn't notice someone else walking into the room until he was standing beside him.

"Dad-" Remus choked.

Mr. Lupin just sighed sadly as he looked over the girl sleeping in the bed. He didn't even glance over at his son.

"Its not his fault. Mr. Lupin." James told him. "He was tricked. They were trapped in the Shrieking Shack together, he-"

Remus's father shook his head, turning away from all of them.

"Don't come home." He said.

"What?" Remus asked, wide-eyed.

"You can't do that!" James said.

"I can. He's seventeen. I won't bring him home so that he can put anyone else in danger."

"But this wasn't his fault!" Sarah yelled. "He wasn't himself! He was being used!"

"This time." Mr. Lupin said. "He's lucky he didn't kill her. Lucky her family or Professor Dumbledore aren't having him sent to Azkaban-"

" _We're_ her family, and we don't blame him." Jet said, stepping toward him.

"Well I do."

Remus felt like he couldn't breathe. His father was right, this was all his fault. He was dangerous and he could have killed one of the most important people in his life last night.

"He's just a boy." Sarah said furiously, her voice shaking.

How could he do this to his own son? She rested a hand on her stomach, she'd be a mother in a month and she swore she could never do anything like this to her own child. She already loved her baby too much, so how could this man possibly disregard his own child so easily when he clearly needed his support?

"I – I have nowhere to go." Remus said weakly.

"Yes, you do." Sarah said suddenly. "You can come home with us when schools over."

She wasn't about to let another person die on the streets for something they couldn't control.

Mr. Lupin left, not giving his son a second glance on his way out the door, followed by the glares of everyone else in the room. Madam Pomfrey was the first to look back as Remus.

"Why don't you lie down?" She asked gently. "Get some rest."

Remus just shook his head. His heart was beating so hard he thought it might explode and he felt like the room was closing in on him. He couldn't breathe, everything hurt. Lily sat down beside him and took his hand, trying to calm him down. He was breathing so hard he couldn't even hear her.

He almost killed the girl he was in love with.

His father didn't want him.

He spent his night desperately fighting to get away from Sirius so he could rip Callie's throat out. He could still hear her shrieking, feel her shaking beside him. She said she wouldn't blame him, that she loved him, but how could she after this?

He buried his face in his hands and remembered the last time they had been like this. He woke up and Callie was right there to make him feel better. He would have given anything to have her do that now, but thanks to him she couldn't and even if she did wake up, he didn't deserve her comfort or her forgiveness.


	28. Awake

**Sorry this one took so long! I justhink started classes so I was kinda busy. As always thanks for reading, enjoying, reviewing, etc. It always makes my day!**

* * *

It was three days before Callie woke up.

Remus visited her every chance he got while she was asleep, and James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter checked in on her every day. Even Snape came to see how she was doing.

James, Sirius, and Peter had to drag Remus out of bed every morning. He hardly talked or ate, couldn't focus in class, even people who had no idea anything had happened noticed something was wrong with him. He felt terrible and nothing anyone did or said could change anything.

He had no intention of going to stay with Callie's family, or anyone else when school ended, especially after what he'd done. How could he? He would have to figure something out on his own, he always knew he would have to eventually anyway.

If it weren't for this he would have left school immediately, but he had no idea what he would do and a few months to figure it out did help quite bit, especially since he decided to spend the following Saturday in bed, despite his friends attempts to get him up.

He wasn't sure what time it was when someone pulled open the curtains around his bed, but he assumed it was James, Sirius, or Peter trying to drag him down to breakfast. Or lunch.

"Go away." He muttered without rolling over to see who it was.

" _No."_ Came the very aggravated reply.

Remus sat up quickly, spinning around to see Callie glaring at him from beside his bed. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest.

He tried to force himself to say something, to apologize, to beg her to forgive him even though he was certain he didn't deserve it but the words got caught in his throat.

She looked better, the color was back in her face, most of the minor cuts and bruises were just about gone, and the deep claw marks he'd left were healed into irritated red scars, though he couldn't see much of them under her clothes. Her shoulder and wrists were still healing but she was well enough to leave the hospital wing, and strong enough to confront him looking absolutely furious.

Remus didn't say anything to her, just waited for whatever she had come to do, expecting her to hate him, scream at him, tell him he was a monster and that she never wanted to see him again. Whatever she had in mind he knew he deserved much worse but as the seconds ticked by he wished she would just get it over with. He felt like he was going to lose his mind if she stared at him any longer.

Maybe that was what she had in mind. Drive him crazy with guilt before she even said anything.

"I'm not helpless, you know." She finally said.

"W-what?" Remus blinked.

"Jonathan and Hunter caught me by surprise last year. I wasn't expecting to be attacked by a classmate, or my date. I shouldn't have _had_ to expect that. It wasn't because I'm helpless."

Remus nodded.

"What happened when we got off the train?" He asked quietly.

"They cornered me. I thought I could fight them off long enough to get someone's attention but they said that if I didn't go with them they'd tell the whole school about you. So I went."

Great, so this was even more his fault than he thought.

"None of this happened because I was helpless. Or useless. I can take care of myself and I can make my own decisions and I don't need you pushing me away and pretending its for my own good. I can decide for myself what I need to be protected from and it isn't _you_."

"Callie-"

"No. If you loved me you should have told me. _Before_ you thought I was going to die. You shouldn't have left me guessing how you felt. You shouldn't have kissed me and then ran away. You shouldn't have left me to spend my entire summer hurt because I thought I meant nothing to you! You shouldn't have hurt me and pretended you were doing it for my benefit!"

Callie's glanced away, wiping a few tears from her eyes.

Remus was taken aback for a second. After everything this was the last subject he expected her to start with. He wasn't sure what to say, after nearly killing her he had seriously doubted his love for her would be something she'd even care enough about to mention.

"I was trying to protect you, Callie. Look what I did to you." He said hoarsely, gesturing to her shoulder.

Callie looked down at herself then shook her head.

"This, Remus, was not even the tiniest bit your fault."

"How can you even look at me after everything I've done to you, even before this? I hurt you _that_ much trying to keep you safe from me, and it was all for nothing anyway."

He reached out like he was going to touch her but stopped himself once again. Callie reached out and took his hand, closing the distance between them and held it against the scars on her chest.

"How could you see me like that and not be repulsed by me?" He said in a quiet, shaky voice.

"This wasn't your fault, Remus. You tried to save me, remember? I told you, I'd never blame you for what happened, and I don't."

Remus shook his head, pulling his hand back quickly as if he shouldn't be touching her.

"I'm so sorry." He choked the words out, forcing himself to look her in the eye.

Callie sat down on his bed and took his face in one of her hands. She still wasn't used to moving with her healing wrists and shoulder but she tried not to let it show for him.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." She assured him.

"I never wanted to hurt you." His voice was barely above a whisper now. She wouldn't have heard him if she weren't so close.

"I know, Remus."

"And last year – I just thought I could protect you."

"From what? Remus, Hunter and Jonathan put me in danger, not you. I've never needed to be protected from you."

Remus reached out to her again, this time resting his hand on her cheek.

"Callie, I love you. But I have nothing to offer you at best. And at worst I do this." He gently slid his hand down to her broken shoulder, looking her injuries over guiltily.

He closed his eyes before he went on. He'd never wanted to have to say any of this out loud to her. He hated it, but he felt like he had to. He needed her to understand, he'd never meant to hurt her, he just couldn't be with her.

"You and I both know what kind of future someone like me will have. My own _father_ doesn't want me. I can't drag you down with me."

Callie shook her head, reaching out and turning his face toward her. She was smiling softly at him and he wished he didn't have to do this.

"Remus, I don't need you or anyone else to make decisions about my life for me. You have plenty to offer the world, not just me. I want to be with you."

"But-"

"I love you." She said firmly. "So either be with me or look me in the eye right now and _honestly_ tell me that's not what you want and I'll never mention it again." The softness in her voice was replaced with a determined edge and she looked expectantly at him.

Remus looked her in the eye, her beautiful blue eyes, and opened his mouth, trying to force the words out. _I don't want to be with you._ It was so simple. Seven words could stop him from ruining her life. He told himself this was what he wanted, not to be with her because it was better for her, because he wanted what was best for her but he couldn't say it. She wanted honesty and the honest truth was that he wanted to be with her more than anything.

Instead he leaned forward and kissed her, gently bringing her closer to him and pulling her down so they were lying beside each other. Remus tried to be careful of all the places she was injured but Callie couldn't have cared less. She kissed him deeply, pulling him as close as she could, she bit his lip and slid her hand under his shirt and ran the tips of her finger up and down his side, making him shudder.

He tangled his hand in her hair, and Callie grabbed him and pulled him forward so that he was on top of her. Remus had no objections left, he knew they were all useless with her so he instead tried to keep her broken shoulder in the back of his mind as he trailed kisses down her neck. Callie sighed and he reached down and slipped the hand he wasn't holding himself up with up under her shirt. Of course she wasn't wearing anything under it, she had on the same pajamas she'd been wearing in the hospital wing and he realized that she must have come to him as soon a she was allowed to leave.

Callie reached down and started to pull her shirt off, Remus helping her around her shoulder, and throwing it behind his back without caring where it ended up and Callie quickly did the same with his shirt. He leaned back and examined her for a minute. She was looking up at him, somewhat breathless, and he gently ran his hand across her body, stopping where the claw marks he'd left crossed across her stomach and following the scars up her ribs, across her breasts, where her bra seemed to have slowed them down a bit, as they weren't as thick. They were still a bright angry red and he knew it would be a few days before the redness faded, though the scars he left would be there forever.

"Remus," She breathed, reaching out to touch his cheek.

He leaned down and kissed the scars, starting where he'd began with his hands, at her stomach, and trailing kisses up her body to where the lines disappeared to the back of her arms from having them tied up.

Callie's eyes slipped shut and she moaned softly as he kissed her lips again. She pulled him closer so that she could feel him pressing against her thigh and slid a hand down his hips, running her index finger across the waistband of his pajama pants. He inhaled sharply as she was about to slide them off but the door to the dormitory flew open and Sirius, James, and Peter all clamored in. Remus pulled the curtains shut before they could see them but he glared through the fabric as if his friends could still see him.

"Moony, get up!" Sirius yelled. "Come to lunch with us."

"You need to actually _eat_ something today." Peter said.

"We're not going to let you sulk all day, again." James insisted.

Remus groaned in aggravation and dropped his head onto Callie's shoulder.

"I'm not sulking!" He shouted.

"Bullshit." Sirius said.

"Then what did _you_ think you were doing?" James asked.

Callie giggled, unable to help herself she responded before Remus could.

"Me."

The three boys were silent. Remus spluttered for a second, glaring at her as they shook off the surprise and burst out laughing.

Sirius was the first to speak and they could _hear_ the smirk in his voice.

"About time, Moony. Don't forget to use protection an-"

"Shove it, Padfoot!" Remus called back.

"Would you like us to leave you alone?" James asked.

"Actually," Callie said. "What this about him needing to eat? Have you not been eating?" She looked pointedly at Remus who shrugged innocently.

"Not enough." James said.

"Well then get your ass downs stairs and get some lunch! Now!" She ordered.

Remus frowned at her and bit his lip, letting his eyes trail down her body but Callie crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a stern look that made him reluctantly sit back and pick up his shirt.

"We'll meet you in the great hall." James said, dragging Peter and Sirius away.

"Why don't you go get changed and I'll meet you down there too?" Remus suggested.

Callie frowned, thinking for a second and Remus remembered her shoulder and how hard it was to put on a shirt on your own when it was broken, having been through it himself after a few bad full moons.

"Come here." He said, pulling her to her feet. He reached into his trunk and dug around for a second before pulling out a grey sweater.

"You can wear this for now – if you want." He offered.

Callie nodded and let him help her into his shirt. Remus smiled once she was standing in front of him wearing it. The sweater was a little big but he loved the way it looked and she loved the way it felt.

"I'll just go grab a different pair or pants and meet you downstairs."

Remus nodded but he couldn't help pulling her back for a kiss as soon as she turned away.

"I love you." She smiled, happy to finally be able to say it to him after everything that had happened.

"I love you too."

* * *

Severus Snape was glaring over at the Gryffindor table.

This wasn't unusual for him, though seeing James Potter with his arm around Lily's shoulder still was as far as he was concerned. He leaned down and kissed her and Snape lost his appetite. How could she be with someone so arrogant and foolish? She'd told him over and over how much she hated James Potter, the big quidditch hero that everyone else loved. He thought bitterly of the way Lily had run into his arms in the hospital wing, kissed him, told him she _loved_ _him._ He hated it. He hated him and he wanted to hate her, but he couldn't.

He loved her, and she loved him, the boy who drove her crazy for years, who tormented him, who until last year she couldn't stand. She loved the reason Snape had lost her.

Of course if Lily could hear this she'd tell him that she loved the boy who was loyal and sweet and who grew up from behaving like a childish bully while Snape was busy with the dark arts. He knew he'd really lost her because he called her that awful word but it was so much easier to blame James Potter.

He stood to leave the great hall in time to see Callie walking in hand in hand with Remus Lupin. After seeing her in the hospital wing he'd been certain she'd have the common sense to stay away from him when she woke up, but here they were, holding hands and smiling at each other like the happiest people in the world.

Snape shook his head, deciding as he left that all Gryffindor girls must be insane.

* * *

"So, Callie, what are you going to tell people when they ask what happened to you?" Peter asked.

Lily and Callie sat with the Marauders in their dorm Saturday night, talking, drinking, and playing games. Callie paused and thought for a moment.

"I don't know yet. It has to be something good." She concluded. "Something…ridiculous."

James and Sirius grinned, trying to out do each other with their stupid suggestions. Callie laughed and added her own input, leaning back against Remus comfortably.

"You could tell them the truth." Sirius suggested.

Remus tensed and everyone else looked confused.

"Not the _whole_ truth, of course. Just imagine it." He held out his arms dramatically before saying in a fake high-pitched voice; "Callie, what happened?" He threw his hand over his mouth in mock concern. "And then you just shrug and go "werewolf accident." And walk off. Its perfect!"

Callie and Remus laughed but he was grateful when she turned the idea down. Eventually she decided to just use a handful of the best ideas they'd come up with until the whole school was buzzing about her run in with the mermaids, or how she fell off a hippogriff or some other ridiculous story.

As it began to get late everyone started falling asleep. Callie noticed that Remus looked exhausted and offered to leave but he shook his head.

"I don't want you to go yet." He pouted.

Callie smiled and shook her head, pushing Remus into his bed and crawling in beside him. Remus pulled the blankets up over them and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly.

"For?"

"Everything. For not telling you how I felt. For running away, both figuratively and literally. And for…" He trailed off, running his hand over her broken shoulder, down to her wrist. He closed his eyes, taking a deep, shuddery breath. "I'm so sorry for all this."

Callie shook her head and pulled him closer.

"Don't be."

"I am. I hate myself for doing this to you."

"Don't say that. You don't have to be sorry for anything. But…if it makes you feel any better, its okay. I don't blame you." She said reassuringly, wrapping her arm around him.

Remus brushed his hand across her cheek and kissed her, holding her tightly as they fell asleep.


	29. Worth It In the End

For weeks Remus anxiously waited for his secret to get out. Before Callie woke up he was too guilty and miserable to care but now that they were together and he was happy he felt like it was only a matter of time before what had happened spread around the school.

It didn't though, and he was starting to relax. He still got depressed about his condition, or his family, and he still felt guilty for what he had done but Callie was always there to make him feel better, and it didn't take much from her.

Callie was now completely healed, though she did start to feel a little off when the next full moon came around, she tried to downplay it for Remus's sake.

She was oddly comforted when James, Sirius, and Peter told her about how her sister had helped them rescue her. She was still hurt, and she would never forgive her for what she had become but it was nice to know she was still human and she still cared about her. Maybe she had been trying to get her to come home out of genuine concern.

She was wondering if maybe she should write to her family when Professor McGonagall approached Callie and Remus on their way to breakfast one morning and told her that Sarah and Jet's baby had been born just a few hours earlier at their house.

"If you'll come with me, they've made arraignments for you to visit for the day."

Callie grinned and nodded excitedly.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Remus said, hugging her goodbye.

"You don't want to go with her?" McGonagall asked, a small smile on her face.

"Well, I didn't think-"

"They wanted you _both_ to come. And I wouldn't suggest upsetting a new mother with your absence."

Remus was stunned. Callie took his hand and excitedly followed McGonagall down the halls to Dumbledore's office, where the headmaster was waiting for them by the fireplace. He greeted them and held out a bag of floo powder.

"Please congratulate the new parents for me." He smiled.

Within seconds the Remus and Callie were standing in her brothers living room, dusting themselves off.

"Come on!"

Callie grabbed his hand and tried to drag him up the stairs but Remus pulled his hand away.

"Maybe I should wait here." He said anxiously.

"Why?" Callie asked impatiently.

"I just…they might not want someone like me around the baby…"

Callie rolled her eyes and continued dragging him upstairs.

"Then _why_ would they have invited you?"

"Maybe it was a misunderstanding?"

Callie shook her head at how ridiculous he was. As they neared the door to Jet and Sarah's bedroom Jet came out grinning from ear to ear, and scooped his sister up into a hug, picking her up of the floor and nearly throwing her over his shoulder.

"It's a girl!" He shouted, as he put her down, turning to Remus and hugging him the same way. "We named her Evelyn after our grandmother and your middle name. She's perfect! She has our eyes and Sarah's nose!"

Jet pushed both of them into the bedroom where Sarah was lying on the bed, looking exhausted and disheveled but holding a tiny baby wrapped in a purple blanket.

Callie immediately went to her side and hugged her sister in law.

"She's so beautiful!" Callie gushed as Sarah pushed the baby into her arms.

Callie held her carefully, smiling down at her little niece while Remus watched from the doorway, until Jet pushed him into the room. He took the baby from his sister and kissed her forehead.

"Do you want to hold her?" Sarah asked.

Jet was handing the baby to Remus before he could finish protesting and he smiled nervously down at her.

Jet and Sarah had invited him in an effort to make it as clear as possible that he was more than welcome with them. They knew he still felt like they should hate him because of what had happened and they knew that it wouldn't be easy for him to move past it. They wanted him to feel nothing short of comfortable and accepted with them.

Remus held the sleeping baby carefully, half expecting her to start crying but she hardly even stirred as she was passed to him.

"She's beautiful. Congratulations." He said.

Sarah reached out, eager to hold her new baby again, and Remus gingerly handed her over.

"Come with me."

Jet led him out of the room and down the hall to the guest room beside Callie's bedroom. The room was painted red, with dark wooden furniture and a large bed which now had new grey and red blankets and pillows.

"What do you think? Sarah said she wanted to make it look a little nicer before you finish school, you know? Less like a guest room."

It took him a second to register what he was saying and when he did he wasn't sure how to respond.

"Its great! I- I mean, you don't have to – to…" He stammered.

"We know. But we want to." Jet interrupted .

"But why would you help _me_?"

"Why not? You didn't deserve any of what happened last month. And you don't deserve to be left out on your own because of it either. Sarah and I are able to help you. What kind of people would we be if we didn't?"

Remus cleared his throat, looking around the room instead of at him. He didn't feel like he deserved their help at all but how could he turn it down?

"Thank you." He said quietly.

* * *

The school year seemed to breeze by faster than they imagined and soon it was spring.

Everyone was surprised when Sirius and a Ravenclaw girl in their year became fast friends and then "friends with benefits" after a few tutoring sessions from her. While he insisted they were only friends and that he'd never actually "settle into a relationship, ugh!" He was _only_ involved with her and no one had the heart to tell him that even if they weren't dating, only sleeping with one girl for once was, in a sense, sort of settling down, at least for him.

And the girl, Vivian, fit into their group nicely. Everyone agreed that she and Sirius were perfect for each other, a little _too_ perfect, since neither of them were "into relationships right now."

Lily and James were making plans to get a place together when school was over. She'd told her parents over Christmas break, explaining that it would be easier for her to pursue a career that way (of course she couldn't worry them with the war she was about to become a part of) and while they said they'd miss her they understood.

James turned out to be a surprisingly responsible head boy, considering his mischievous streak. He still couldn't hide his delight at revealing his new title to Snape one afternoon a few days after school began. They'd both agreed to pretend they'd never helped each other the night of the full moon and Snape decided to hex him between classes. Sirius, Remus, and Peter nearly lost it laughing at the look on his face when James handed him a detention slip and pointed at the badge on his robes.

Still, a part of him did feel bad for the Slytherin, he was thankful for his help rescuing Callie.

Of course this feeling always went away when he remembered what he had called Lily and how hurt she had been, as well as his obvious intentions to become a Death Eater after school and he usually didn't go easy on him.

Remus and Callie were steadily moving forward. So far Callie had all the grades to train to become an Auror after school was over and she felt confident that she could maintain those grades for the next few months without going too crazy, and Remus was warming up to the idea that the ground wasn't about to fall out from under him.

One night late in spring he snuck Callie up to his dorm after everyone else was asleep. They were originally intending to just fall asleep together, innocently enough, since the full moon was in a few days and he was already starting to feel it.

However this quickly turned to Remus closing the curtains and Callie putting a silencing charm on the bed.

Remus leaned over her and kissed down her neck, unbuttoning her uniform shirt and pulling it off, along with her skirt. Callie did the same with his shirt, pulling him up to kiss her as she threw it off to the side.

"This isn't even." She muttered between kisses.

Remus was puzzled for a second but Callie pushed him back and started removing his pants as well, trailing kisses down his chest. She stopped at his stomach though, and looked up at him.

"I want you." She breathed.

He pushed her back down on the bed and removed what was left of both their clothes before getting back on top of her and between her legs. He kissed her again, hesitating for a moment, he'd never done this before, though of course he'd wanted to for a while now.

Callie kissed down his neck, biting him gently and he pushed himself inside of her. Callie gasped, wrapping her legs around him and digging her nails into his back. They went slowly at first, which seemed to be driving her crazy. He started to go faster and somewhere in the back of his mind he thanked whoever invented silencing charms.

After a while he felt her body tense, her eyes shut, and she moaned his name as she finished, pushing him over the edge as well.

Remus wrapped his arms around her and rolled to the side so that she was lying on his chest, both trying to catch their breath.

"Was that...alright?" He asked.

Callie giggled and nodded.

"It was better than alright, babe. I love you."

She snuggled closer to him and he pulled the blankets up around them.

"I love you too."

The two of them fell asleep, only to be woken up several hours later by Sirius throwing the curtains open, momentarily blinding them with the sudden light and smirking at the two of them.

"Well looks like you two had a good night together."

Remus pulled the blankets up over Callie, who was still in his arms, and groaned tiredly at him.

"Looking good-"

"Padfoot, I will murder you." Remus said, sitting up and glaring at him.

Sirius held up his hands defensively and turned away, tossing the discarded girls uniform he'd found on the floor towards the bed.

Remus shut the curtains so Callie could get dressed, watching her happily.

"What?" She asked, giggling at the grin on his face.

He shrugged.

"You're just perfect."

Callie laughed and shook her head, finishing up the buttons on her shirt.

"No hun, that's you."

She leaned over and kissed him before the two of them climbed out of bed so he could get dressed as well.

"Come on lovebirds, we're going to miss breakfast!" Sirius urged, pushing them towards the door.

Remus couldn't help smiling. As terrified as he was of the future right now it didn't look so bad. He had amazing friends, an incredible girlfriend who loved him, and maybe when the war was over he'd actually be able to find a real, decent job.

James, Lily and Peter met them in the common room, James smirking at them as he threw his arm around Lily.

"Just a little hint – certain silencing charms wear off after a while." He winked.

Callie rolled her eyes and blushed into her boyfriends chest and Remus winced, but the smile never left his face.

* * *

 **Two Years Later**

A very pregnant Lily Potter sat on her living room couch, watching James as he ran around fussing over baby furniture so she wouldn't have to. It would have been sort of funny to watch if she hadn't been going crazy with boredom.

Towards the end of their first summer out of school Sirius and Vivian announced that they were expecting a baby of their own, and after several months of Sirius panicking they had a baby girl and named her Rhiannon, after a muggle song they both liked and Sirius settled down just enough to be a very loving father.

He was supposed to be stopping by with his now two year old daughter soon for lunch, along with Peter, Remus, and Callie to help finish the nursery.

Lily watched with amusement as her husband somehow forgot that he was a pureblood wizard and tried to put Harry's crib together by hand.

Of course what resulted wasn't anything Lily would ever put a baby in but it was still funny to watch.

"Oh yeah?" James said as she broke out laughing at his perplexed look toward the pile of wood and screws. "Let's see you do better."

With a few waves of her wand Lily had the crib put together perfectly and was laughing even harder at the look on James's face.

She got to her feet and helped him off the floor, James kissing her stomach as he got up, then kissing her and wrapping his arms around her.

Not long after there was a knock on the door and Lily answered to find Remus and Callie, along with a large black dog who carried a giggling toddler on his back. Lily reached down and picked up her goddaughter to give her a kiss on the cheek before greeting each of her friends.

Sirius changed back to himself and took his daughter into his arms as Lily lead them all into the house.

"Peter's running a little late." Sirius said.

"How's it going?" Remus asked, nodding to the flustered James sitting at the center of a pile of baby things that needed to be put together.

"It'll be better when he either realizes that he's a wizard, or finds a screw driver." She shrugged.

"A what?" Sirius asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lily shook her head and she and Remus laughed. Sirius put Rhiannon down on the floor and he and Remus dragged James out of the cluttered and unorganized nursery.

"Maybe we should paint it first." Remus teased.

"Paint! I knew I should have waited to bring everything in there." He groaned, earning another, much louder laugh from his wife and friends.

He left the room, bending down to scoop up Sirius's dark haired little girl before she could get into any trouble and they all went to the dining room.

Another knock on the door told them Peter was finally there and they all sat down for lunch together.

James looked around the table at his wife and friends. Remus had his arm around Callie, who was leaning into him and smiling, Lily was rubbing her large stomach as she piled food on her plate, and Peter was laughing as Sirius tried in vain to stop his daughter from covering them both in food.

Everyone looked so happy and carefree, though he knew it would only last until the Order meeting that night reminded them of the reality of the world they were living in, he was thankful they still had days like this reminded them that it would all be worth it in the end.

* * *

 **That's the end! I really dont want it to be over but here it is! Thank you all so much for reading my story, and for the wonderful reviews, follows, favorites and whatnot! I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm working on a sequel about the babies (Evelyn and Rhiannon) with Harry, Hermione, and the Weaselys that will include Sirius, Remus, and Callie and I hope a few of you might enjoy that too.**

 **Xoxo xoxo thanks again for reading!**

 **P.s. I feel like I suck with writing sex scenes because I dont write them often but I wanted to try and I'very been planning this chapter for a while anyway, so I hope it's not too bad!**


	30. Hey everyone!

Hey everyone!

For those of you who read/possibly are reading Force of Nature I've decided to update it and rewrite a few bits here and there. I wasn't happy with how one plot point at the end turned out because when I wrote it I'd intended to elaborate more on it in later chapters but I ended up deciding to end it before it started to feel forced. I'm also doing a lot of editing (helloooo to that part in an earlier chapter or two when I started speaking in the present tense randomly for no reason!) I've gone back to school which is why I haven't been on much or writing much, but I've changed my schedule this semester so I don't have class every day so much schedule is much more manageable and I've got actual free time now!

Sorry for not having been so active the past several months. I'm trying to change that. I'm also thinking about writing another story on the marauders because I really liked writing them but I'm not sure yet. The updates will be coming over the next few weeks and (if anyone pays attention to this) I'm totally open to suggestions on whether or not I should write another one.

Xox


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